


I wish I didn't care but sadly, I do

by WickedCinnamonRoll



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game), The Walking Dead Game
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Eddie Lives, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Other, Post McCaroll Ranch, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre Final Season, The McCaroll Ranch, Trust Issues, protective Clementine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2019-12-26 04:13:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18275552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedCinnamonRoll/pseuds/WickedCinnamonRoll
Summary: While looking for AJ at The McCaroll Ranch, an unwanted hero saves Clementine and to keep her and AJ alive, she has no choice but to trust him.After watching the final episode, I'm sure you can imagine the distress I had while viewing the ranch scene. This is purely a comfort thing for me and a way to cope and the only thing I could work on for a bit but I hope you all can enjoy it as well





	1. You are stuck with me so I guess I'll be sticking with you

  At this point in her journey, Clementine had no idea for how long she had spent wandering through the miles upon miles of still trees, dirt pathways and steep, rocky slopes trying to find AJ. It could’ve been months or years and she wouldn’t have had the faintest idea. No matter how long it was taking her, each hour passed slowly and painfully. Every hour without him ached more and more over time and saying that at times it made her sick would be an understatement. ****  
** **

  She hesitated whether or not to continue even in the dead of night, but something in her gut told her to keep on moving. ****  
** **

  She thank God for the horse she found a few days back. If it weren’t for it, Clementine would barely have the energy to walk, much less fight to get AJ back. She was ready for a fight because she knew one was coming. No way she’s just waltzing in and out without getting a bit of someone else’s blood on her and she would do it if it meant getting herself and AJ out alive. Sometimes the peaceful attempts ended the worst. So if they want to fight dirty and bloody, Clementine would just have to fight back dirtier and bloodier. It wouldn’t be the first time she had done it and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be her last. ****  
** **

  The night air was cool against her face, yet it was the tinge of warmth she felt that made her skin crawl. She pulled a bit, slowing down the horse to a stop as she looked around. Orange light reflected and shined high up in the tree leaves. Unlike the leaves it rested on, the light wavered and flickered and never stood still.  ****  
** **

  She knew she was there.

  Her heavy breathing and the sounds of her heart hammering throughout her body meshed and melted with that of the seemingly never ending symphony of crickets. So loud...nearly deafening. ****  
** **

  “AJ…” She said, barely above a whisper. “I’m coming.” ****  
** **

  She quickly pulled to have the horse turn onto the dirt path. Slow and deliberate is how they moved. She couldn’t exactly be sneaky alongside the sounds of a horse’s hooves clopping and the occasional huffs and whinnies from it but she tried her best. By the end of things, she knew being sneaky wouldn’t matter. Once the path turned, the unmistakable sounds of fire crackling filled her ears and overpowered everything else. Her eyes widened in terror. ****  
** **

  There before her eyes stood the McCaroll Ranch, up in flames and smoke. ****  
** **

  “No…” She muttered in disbelief. ****  
** **

  Her horse whinnied loudly as she pulled forward and gave it a kick, causing it to race towards the ranch. But just as they reached the bridge, a gunshot rang through the air, both startling the horse and the bullet actually hitting it. They both fell hard, Clementine rolling away as to not be crushed by the giant animal. Sitting up, she saw the life in its eyes slowly but surely dim and fade into nothing. She quickly ducked down as she heard another gunshot, thankfully not hitting her next. After crawling behind the horse for cover, she took it as a chance to pull out her gun and peaked over, seeing a man sitting against the rails of the bridge. She shot at him, not giving it a second thought and from the sounds of his groans, she managed to do some major damage. She slowly got up from her hiding spot and walked over to him, gun still ready. She pointed it at him. ****  
** **

  “I’m looking for a boy.” She started, her voice firm and hard, showing that she wasn’t messing around. “He’s about three years old. His name’s Alvin Junior.” ****  
** **

  Holding his neck, gurgling from where he’s been shot, his face twisted into a scowl and held up a middle finger with his other hand. ****  
** **

  Her glare intensified as she shot him right in the head. ****  
** **

  Just as she expected, no peace. Only blood. ****  
** **

  She turned attention to what remained of the entrance. Rumbled nearly blocked it all off, but thankfully there was enough space for Clementine to slip right on through. ****  
** **

  It looked about ten times worse inside. Fire sat right next to the destroyed entrance and it burned strong. Crates and barrels laid across the floor, toppled over, empty and broken. She was just about to take another step forward when she suddenly felt a hand grab her ankle. She cried out in fear as she looked down. It wasn’t a walker but it was worse than that. ****  
** **

  A man, alive, but half of his body burnt and crisped by the fire, shook her by the foot as he laid under fallen debris.  ****  
** **

  “Please…” He gasped out, his lungs probably half fried as well. He coughed. “Please. Please kill me.” ****  
** **

  Eyes still wide, she blinked before quickly shaking her head. “Where are the children?” ****  
** **

  He ignored her question, coughing some more. “It hurts. Oh my god, it hurts so bad.” ****  
** **

  She knew anymore questions directed towards him would leave her with no answers and hey...it’s what he wants. She pulled out her gun again and shot him in the head as well. The act caused more chills to run down her back when compared to the first man. She took a deep breath, walking away from him.  ****  
** **

  Ahead of her, there were two ways to go: left and right. Carefully, she looked down the right hallway, then the left. Both ways appeared to look equally fucked with all the fallen pieces of the building and traces of fire and smoke it held. How would she have any idea of which way to go. The ranch looked huge from the outside. If she wasn’t where she needed to be and fast, it could be too late. But as she was looking down the left way, she heard loud and fast footsteps behind her. She whipped her head around to see a large man charging towards her, knife in hand. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she could never seem to catch a break. She cursed as she jumped backwards, aiming her gun right for his head. However, he managed to smack the gun right from her hand and it skid across the floor. Both parties grunted as the man grabbed ahold of her arm, trying to plunge the knife into her. She used her other arm to push his hand back and though she was strong, he was stronger. He towered over her as the tip of the knife hovered dangerously close to her neck. She gulped harshly as she continued to push back with all her might. ****  
** **

  BANG! ****  
** **

  Another gunshot rang out but it wasn’t a distant one judging by how the man’s arm holding the knife flopped to his side. Still struggling, she looked up to see one side of his head burst open, painted with his own blood and brain matter. No longer able to support his weight, he began to crumble and fall and he was taking Clementine down with him. ****  
** **

  “Shit shit shit!” Clementine blurted as she collapsed to the floor with his body right on top. ****  
** **

  She wheezed and grunted as she tried to push him off, but she found out he was harder to move dead rather than when he was alive and kicking. The crushing feeling knocked the air right out of her.  ****  
** **

  She had to get up.  ****  
** **

  AJ was waiting for her. ****  
** **

  She suddenly felt the body being dragged right off of her. Before even looking at who was doing it, she reached over and grabbed her gun as she stood up. With her gun lowered, but ready, she looked up to face who had supposedly saved her. ****  
** **

  The lankier man had just let go of his feet once he saw that Clementine was standing again. His hair was hidden under a worn out beanie that looks like it’s seen better days, his beard was rough looking and a scar had made its home across his cheek.  ****  
** **

  “Fuck.” He sighed in a shaky voice. He stood up straight, looking at Clementine with wide brown eyes. “You okay there, kid? Almost got stabbed then crushed to death.” ****  
** **

  She didn’t have time for this. “Where are the kids?” She blurted out. “I’m looking for one of them.” ****  
** **

  This seemed to catch him off guard as he stuttered a bit before pointing down the left hallway. “There’s a nursery down there but-” ****  
** **

  That’s all she needed to hear. She pushed past him and started down the hallway. This didn’t deter the man in the slightest as he started to follow her, but she tried her best not to give him any attention. She walked deeper and deeper into the crumbling building and that’s when he started talking again.  ****  
** **

  “Now wait a second!” He called out. “Why you just lookin’ for only one of them? Are you with-?” ****  
** **

  “I’m not with _anyone!”_ She snapped, not giving the energy to even look at him. “I don’t have to tell you anything but if you must know, it’s just me and I’m looking for my boy, Alvin Junior.” ****  
** **

  “AJ…” The man said quietly.  ****  
** **

  Clementine froze in her tracks before turning to face him, who was just a few feet behind her. “You know him?” ****  
** **

  “Well, shit, I work at this fuckin’ place.” He huffed out, almost sounding like a laugh. “That’s really your boy?” ****  
** **

  She started thinking of what to say but gave up, merely sighing and whipping back around and continuing to walk, with him following close behind.  ****  
** **

  As she continued down the hall, she strangely enough heard faint rock music playing. A tacky looking car came into view, powered up with the radio playing. While inspecting it, out of the corner of her eye she could see the man nervously looking at it, every once in a while darting his eyes around in every direction in the ranch, as if something were to pop right out. She pushed past him again to go deeping into the halls. At the end, she saw a door, barely ajar with a sliver of light shining through it and when she grew closer, she heard talking. ****  
** **

  “Don’t worry. We’re leaving soon.” She heard a stuttering voice from inside the room.  ****  
** **

  She opened up the door and the woman whipped around, her voice turning desperate once she learned she wasn’t alone. “No! I won’t let you-!” ****  
** **

  As expected, Clementine didn’t hesitate. To her, it was just another blast in a sea of deaths happening on that night alone. Her blood splattered against the lockers she was positioned in front of before collapsing next to them. Clementine once again froze when she heard whimpering coming from one of the lockers. ****  
** **

  “AJ…” She said quietly. ****  
** **

  She ran up to the locker, immediately beginning to pry at the door in desperation but her attempts proved to be futile. Out of frustration, she banged on it. ****  
** **

  “What the fuck…?” She heard from behind her. The man stood in the doorway, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Her fist clenched tighter. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? His voice was wobbly as he tried to find the right words. “Why the fuck-? How-?” ****  
** **

  His voice faded as Clementine looked down at the woman. She could feel her nails digging into her palms. She was ready for this. She told herself there would be blood and lots of it. Sometimes there isn’t a better solution to things. She bent down and picked up the bottle she was previously holding and then the keys, still in a somewhat tight grip. ****  
** **

  “It had to be done.” She whispered, not caring a single bit if he heard it or not. ****  
** **

  After the half hearted explanation, she jammed the keys into the lock and carefully opened it up. ****  
** **

  She sighed in relief. “AJ…” ****  
** **

  She saw AJ’s back to her, which was shaking in tune with his soft whimpering and splattered with the blood from the woman supposedly previously taking care of him. He slowly turned to face her, knees still close to his chest. ****  
** **

  Clementine slowly opened the locker door a bit more. “It’s me.” She said in a soft tone, starting to reach out. “Clem.” ****  
** **

  AJ quickly ducked his head back down, still whimpering. Clem pulled back, not knowing what to do. After a moment of thinking, she carefully reached in, placing gentle hands on his shoulder and back. Once she turned him around, still panting and whimpering with red eyes and some of that blood sadly splattered across his face as well, AJ naturally gravitated into her arms. He placed his head onto her shoulder and his grip around her was as tight a grip as a three year old could possess. Just as he was beginning to calm down, his breath hitched upon seeing his now dead ex-caregiver and let out a distressed cry. Clementine turned so he wouldn’t see it anymore, but now she couldn’t help but stare at the woman’s terrified expression and the bullet wound. ****  
** **

  Did it _really_ need to be done? ****  
** **

  She shook her head and returned her attention to AJ, where it rightfully belonged. She tried to hush his sniffled sobs and it only partly worked. She looked up and did a double take at the man who still stood in the room with her. Her expression hardened while his grew softer. ****  
** **

  “You need to get outta here.” He said, his voice holding a sense of quiet urgency.  ****  
** **

  “Yeah, no shit.” She replied coldly. “That’s the plan, so if you don’t mind-” ****  
** **

  “The car outside the room.” It was only partially a sentence and he knew it as he tried to further explain himself. “It’s mine. I could drive you outta here. That’s why I had it here in the first place, so I could get people out. I could still do that.” ****  
** **

  She held AJ closer to herself. “And give me one single reason why I should trust you.” ****  
** **

  His eyes scanned the ground eyebrows furrowing before looking back up, straight into her eyes. “I don’t have one.” He answered truthfully. ****  
** **

  It certainly wasn’t the answer she expected.  ****  
** **

  “You don’t have to get into that car, but all I’m saying is that it’s gonna be hell and a half trying to get away from here with no transportation and with a child you’re trying to keep alive.” He leaned in a bit, keeping his voice low. “Those people...trying to get the kids...they’re actual monsters. Worse than the dead heads, a thousand times worse and if they find you…” His voice trailed off into nothing. He blinked and gulped as he straightened his back out and spoke more clearly. “I made a promise when I joined that I would do whatever I could to protect these kids, even if it meant dying. I can’t force you to do anything, but if you try walking out of here, I can’t guarantee your safety. “ ****  
** **

  She couldn’t believe she was actually considering taking him up on his offer. He was apart of the very group that separated them. Yet...he truly believed he’s been protecting AJ along with who knows how many other kids. More than anything did she want to refuse, to walk right on past him and out of the ranch. But as she felt and heard AJ’s shaky breaths and sobs, she knew it wasn’t an option. After taking a deep breath and swallowing her pride, she reciprocated the eye contact he had been looking for. ****  
** **

  “Fine.” She said plainly. ****  
** **

  Relief looked to wash over him as a small smile slipped onto his lips. “Okay. Good. Uh, so, okay, the plan is for-“ ****  
** **

  He was interrupted by the terrible combination of nearby gunfire and the faint feeling of the building settling, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse. ****  
** **

  He took a step back, eyes wide with fear. “Actually, new plan. We get in the car and I tell you the plan when we get out.” ****  
** **

  “Definitely not the worst plan I’ve heard.” Her voice partly shared his fear but she had to stay brave. ****  
** **

  He rushed out, Clementine staying close behind as they got into the car. He quickly jabbed a button on the radio to shut it off before glancing behind to see if they were ready. Clementine had refused to let AJ sit in the seat besides her, choosing to remain holding him. He put the car into reverse and started backing up. It jutted up and rocked a bit due to trying to drive over all the debris and AJ only shook more at this. ****  
** **

  “Have you any idea how to drive?” She hissed, at the same time, trying to console AJ. ****  
** **

  “I do!” He said, not sounding mad but instead, almost embarrassed. “There’s just a lotta shit in the way. I’m trying here, I promise.” ****  
** **

  She glared at the back of his head one last time before returning her attention to the one who truly deserved it. Quietly shushing, she held AJ close to her, running a trembling hand up and down his back as she tried to soothe him. She had to at least try to have him block out the terrible noises that bounced around outside. She couldn’t have him stuck on them. She must have mumbled “It’s okay” at least a million times and after a while, it started working. It even worked on her. Her eyes clenched shut as she breathed in that sickly combination of blood and what remained of AJ’s once calming smell. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, the sounds grew muffled and the light from the fires faded from beyond her shut eyelids. The only clear noises came from AJ and she hoped it was the same for him. ****  
** **

  After a while of this, she could feel the ground they drove on become more level and less jittery. She took a risk and slowly batted her eyes open. ****  
** **

  Crumbling walls and dancing flames were replaced with towering trees and the natural moonlight that shined in between the leaves and branches high above them. It was definitely a welcomed change to the environment, but things were far from over. ****  
** **

  She silently eyed the driver, drilling holes into the back of his head with her stare. It must have been a powerful stare since his shoulders suddenly grew tense, yet both stayed silent. Through the cold, blue light that surrounded them, her eyes flickered to a red glimmer on his left hand, which rested high on the wheel. It looked to be a ring and a pretty one at that. It didn’t look like it at all belonged on such a dirty hand, blood buried deep in the fingernails, busted knuckles and everything. ****  
** **

  “I’d like to hear that plan now.” The air grew heavier with that demand from her. ****  
** **

  He nodded. “Of course, of course. I, uh, got a friend that lives not too far away. It’s where I was gonna go already after all this shit. He lives in a cabin off the roads, real hard to find. He’s not apart of New Frontier. Not apart of anything. You can stay-” ****  
** **

  “I didn’t agree to staying with anyone.” She whispered. “I only agreed to a ride out of there. What the hell changed?” ****  
** **

  He tried his best to keep his voice calm. “I know. I should’ve brought that up too. I-I was just more focused on getting out of there safe. You don’t have to stay forever, just for the night because even though it’s off the road and a fair distance away, it would be suicide to stay out on foot and in the open. At least you have a fighting chance if you have something separating you and the forces of nature and whatever the hell else is out there. By morning, they should fall back to home base and then it’ll be safe to leave.” Clementine could see his expression sadden in the rear view mirror. “I cannot stress this enough: I don’t want to force anyone to do anything, but this is your best bet at keeping you and your boy alive.” ****  
** **

  She hated this more than words could describe. She didn’t want to be seen as someone weak and someone that needed protecting. That little girl who needed that grew up a long time ago. But one thing stay consistent when it came to her decision making: AJ. What would be best for AJ? What would keep him alive? And at the moment, this was her only choice. They were exhausted, still on edge and covered in blood. They wouldn’t last long out there and she knew it. ****  
** **

  “Fine.” She answered like before, more quiet this time. ****  
** **

  He didn’t say anything at first, but after a moment of opening his mouth, figuring out what to say, he eventually spat something else. “I’m Eddie.” ****  
** **

  She rolled her eyes, looking outside at the passing trees. Eddie saw this and his once hopeful expression wavered. ****  
** **

  “Clementine.” ****  
** **

  He smiled. Not the kind of smile he was used to seeing from people after telling them her name. There was no taunting grime to it nor pity. But instead, more welcoming. ****  
** **

  “It’s nice to meet you, Clementine.”

****

  Clementine’s blood ran cold in anticipation as they slowed to a stop after driving off road for a good few minutes. When they both climbed out, AJ still clinging to Clementine for dear life, the sight of the seemingly abandoned cabin didn’t really help to make her feel any better. It was about the same size as one she had come across years ago and maybe it had something to do with it being the dead of night, but it looked far from welcoming. It looked dark on the inside and the boarded up windows certainly didn’t help. The shed that sat near it only further brought up bad memories. ****  
** **

  The sound of Eddie shutting his car door made her jump a bit, snapping her out from her mind. ****  
** **

  He looked at her, then the cabin, then back at her and sighed. “I know it’s not exactly vacation home worthy, but it’s safe. Plus, it’s better on the inside, I promise.” ****  
** **

  Those kind of promises she could only take with a grain of salt, but she nonetheless began to follow him as he walked up to the front door, making sure to stay a few feet back just in case. ****  
** **

  When he made it to the door, he didn’t do anything at first. His breathing became deep and slow as he, to Clementine’s surprise, used the inside of his jacket to wipe away any blood on his face before straightening it out, fixing his sleeves and even tucking in his shirt into his pants. After the odd preparation, he cleared his throat and brought his fist up. After five quick rhythmic raps against the old wooden door, he paused, lowered his hand and knocked twice more, a bit louder. ****  
** **

  Silence followed for a moment before some rustling could be on the other side. Clementine stepped back out of instinct, internally cursing the realization that it would be hard to grab her gun in case things went south. The sounds of things lifting up from the door and locks clicking were muffled yet filled the air, demanding to be heard. Finally, the door opened up a crack, barely enough to look in or out. It then swung open and the person inside stepped forward and pulled Eddie into a tight embrace, catching Clementine off guard. ****  
** **

  Though it was dark, she could still make out their appearance. The man had much longer blonde hair, pulled out of the way in a loose bun on top of his head and his beard much more wild and bushy than his friend’s. Though part of his face hid away in Eddie’s shoulder, she could see a pair of glasses smooshed against his face, a small crack in one of the lenses. His height was significantly larger than Eddie’s and she had to guess he stood over six feet tall. ****  
** **

  She could hear him muttering things to Eddie. “I was so worried I wouldn’t see you again.” He sounded as if he was just on the brink of losing it but was managing to keep it together. The rest grew muffled so Clementine couldn’t make it out as easily. But soon, his words slowed to a stop when his eyes open and he saw Clementine and AJ. He pulled away, hands still firm on Eddie’s shoulders. ****  
** **

  Eddie saw the two staring each other and touched the man’s shoulder as well. “Wyatt,” He started, Clementine now having a name to the face. “This is Clementine. She came to the ranch to get her boy, AJ. Things went worse than we could’ve imagined and I had to get them out as soon as possible.” He turned to face Wyatt. “Those fuckers are still out there, Wyatt, we need-” ****  
** **

  “Slow down.” Wyatt sighed. “One thing at a time and while I’m at it, we should get inside. Like you’re saying, it’s not safe out here.” ****  
** **

  Without a second word, he walked inside. Eddie looked over to Clem, silently urging her to follow him. She looked down at AJ, who looked back up at her with tired and droopy eyes, before reluctantly walking into the cabin with them.  ****  
** **

  After closing the door, the cabin didn’t stay plunged into complete darkness as a newly born flame from a candle flickered softly on a table in what looked to be the living room. It still was too dark for Clementine’s liking, but it was a start. It only illuminated about half of the room, leaving the kitchen, just out of the flames reach, to be a shadowy mystery. She moved out of the way as Wyatt locked up the front door again, but choosing not to block it with the large sheet of wood that leaned against the way. He glanced at her with narrow eyes, then down at her gun. ****  
** **

  He pointed towards the kitchen, which was now lit up by a second candle Eddie was in the process of placing on the counter. “If you could place any weapons on the dining room table, that would be great.” ****  
** **

  She leered at him. “This stays with me.” ****  
** **

  Wyatt didn’t insist any further, instead sighing and walking over to the table himself. He made sure she saw him remove his own gun for his pocket and place it down. He eyed Eddie and he did the same, removing his gun, the clips and a knife from his possession and laying it all flat on the table. This wasn’t enough to convince her and the gun remained by her hip. Wyatt stayed in the kitchen while Eddie walked over to her, keeping his distance. ****  
** **

  “You can sit down if you want.” He said, gesturing to the large sofa at sat in front of the candle lit table. ****  
** **

  She wanted so badly to refuse, but her tired legs screamed and begged for relief and before she knew it, she was sitting down in the surprisingly comfortable couch, still holding on tight to AJ. He appeared to have calmed down a bit, but the sniffles never went away. She tenderly ran her hand over his hair, both to better soothe him and herself. The two men walked over to the front of the table, Eddie placing down a glass of water and a washcloth while Wyatt carefully dropped a small pail of water besides the glass. She looked up at them with a raised eyebrow. ****  
** **

  “One to drink and one to wash up with cause, uh,” Eddie grinned nervously, touching his face with his fingers. “Looks like you both stepped out of a horror movie with all that blood.” ****  
** **

  She knew that AJ did but not herself and why would they lie about that. She carefully placed AJ besides her on the couch before grabbing and dipping the cloth into the pail of water. She helped AJ first, dabbing the cold rag against his forehead and cheeks as to not smear the blood around. AJ shivered at how cold it felt, but Clementine knew this was for the best. Once she was done, she leaned back to get a better look at him and smiled. ****  
** **

  “Much better.” She said quietly. ****  
** **

  She turned the attention to herself with it and though she didn’t have nearly as much blood on her as AJ did, it still felt good to get it all off. She dropped the cloth into the pail, to which Eddie grabbed shortly after and returned to the kitchen, most likely to dump out the now bloodied water, which left just the full cup of water. Just looking at it had her mouth feeling dryer than before. She cautiously grabbed the cup and took a few small sips from it. It certainly wasn’t the kind of water right from the tap, but it satisfied her thirst nonetheless. She brought it up to AJ’s lips, making sure it didn’t spill or splash onto him and once he had enough, she placed the half empty cup back to the table. At this point, Wyatt was done practically looming over them and went to sit down next to a matching cushioned chair next to the fireplace, still keeping a close eye on the pair. Eddie returned, now holding a large blanket. ****  
** **

  “It’s pretty damn cold out and we don’t want to quite risk the fireplace yet so-” He lifted up the blanket as if to drape it around them. However, Clementine reached out, snatched it from his hands and wrapped it around the two of them herself. He didn’t give it much of a reaction besides a small flinch of surprise. ****  
** **

  He walked over to the fireplace at the front of it all and leaned against it, arm resting on the mantel. He watched as AJ, still slightly shaking, snuggled up against Clementine, burying his head into her side. Clementine allowed herself small smile as she watched it herself before switching her line of sight to either man, staring daggers at them. ****  
** **

  “So,” Wyatt began bluntly, breaking the silence. His own icy stare stayed on Clementine. “Eddie, care to take us from the top of what’s going on?” ****  
** **

  Eddie let out a shaky sigh and nodded. “Yeah. The ranch it- it was overrun in a matter of minutes. We barely had any time to prepare. We just had one job and that was to protect the kids no matter what. While looking for any survivors, I found this big guy trying to kill her. Now, I knew neither of them were with us, but if he was with them, why would he be trying to kill of his own? I didn’t even think. Shot him right in the head and dragged the body off of her. She was looking for her boy and told her where the nursery was. After getting him back...I told her she couldn’t go out on her own. I already had a job to do- to save as many people as I could and I had to stay true to that promise. They wouldn’t last out there. I had to bring them here, just for one night at least and then they could go in the morning.” ****  
** **

  After the babbling from Eddie had ceased, the mutual eye contact from Wyatt and Clementine continued. Leaning back in his seat, all Wyatt did was stare and fiddle with a silver ring on his left hand. ****  
** **

  “What he said.” Clementine said curtly. ****  
** **

  He looked over to Eddie, who offered a hopeful, half smile in return. He then eyed a set of stairs next to the kitchen. “Okay...okay yeah that can be arranged.” He stood up, grunting a bit. “I have two bedrooms here. You and your boy can stay in the one across from mine.” ****  
** **

  She glanced Eddie’s way but didn’t say anything. ****  
** **

  Eddie noticed and smiled. “Don’t worry ‘bout me, I’ll sleep…” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “On the couch. It’s real comfy, don’t you think?” ****  
** **

  Clementine didn’t answer. Of course she wasn’t worried about him, but she did wonder where he would sleep, if not in the second bedroom. She grabbed ahold AJ and stood up, making sure she still had her gun by her hip. She did. Wyatt and Eddie went up the stairs to show her the way, Clementine walking up behind them, silently refusing to go up before them. After going up the less than quiet stairs, she saw them standing in front of an open door. She slowly made her way over and peered inside. ****  
** **

  One of them must’ve lit a candle in there too, which made the space seem a bit more inviting. A full sized bed sat right besides and underneath a window, boarded up like the rest, with a set of drawers next to it. Other than a large closet across the room from the bed, the room was pretty barren. ****  
** **

  Eddie pointed at the door. “There’s a lock on it too, if you need that. Can only be opened from your side.” ****  
** **

  Clementine merely nodded at the statement.  ****  
** **

  Wyatt eyed her one last time and started to turn away. “I’m gonna head to bed now. We can talk more in the morning.” He gave Eddie’s shoulder a harder pat, sliding his hand down his back before pulling away to walking into his own room. ****  
** **

  Eddie gave her one last smile, hesitating a moment before going back down the stairs. ****  
** **

  She walked in the shut the door behind her, wasting no time turning that lock. She carefully placed AJ atop the bed and placed her gun close on the nightstand, followed by her hat. For a moment, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from it, her mind racing as she tried to keep up with her own thoughts. After holding back for so long, she allowed herself a small, tired whimper and sniff. She quickly wiped her dewy eyes and looked over to AJ, staring up with large unblinking eyes. She put on a sad smile and crouched in front of him. ****  
** **

  “Hey there goofball.” She said hoarsely. “Doing alright?” ****  
** **

  As expected, he didn’t say anything. All he could do was quietly sniffle as he looked around the unfamiliar and new space. ****  
** **

  “I know.” She sighed. “I don’t like it either, but it isn’t permanent. It’s just for tonight and in the morning, we’ll figure out where we’re going to next.”  ****  
** **

  The mention of going somewhere else seemed to pique his interest, but he still said nothing. He didn’t need to though. ****  
** **

  She reached out and held one of his tiny hands and struggled with her words for a moment. “I really missed you.” She managed to whisper. “So much.” ****  
** **

  AJ placed his other hand atop Clementine’s, only making her eyes grow softer. ****  
** **

  “Clem…” He said quietly. ****  
** **

  She couldn’t hold back a wide small and huff of a laugh. “That’s right. It’s me...and now that we’re together, I’m not ever letting you leave my sight again. I promise.” ****  
** **

  She leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his forehead, the act releasing a small smile from AJ himself. ****  
** **

  She laid AJ down on the side closest to the window and after taking off her shoes, she laid down next to him. After pulling up the covers and blankets over themselves and making sure he was warm enough, she leaned over and blew out the candle with a quick breath. AJ shook a bit at the sudden darkness, but Clementine pulled him close to try to calm him all over again. The warmth along with the comfort of knowing whose arms he was in was enough to slowly but surely lull him to sleep. But not Clementine yet. She took the time to really take in every ounce of their surroundings. The never ending song of the crickets was joined by the faint sound of someone going up the stairs again. Her breathing stilled as she listened in. Soon, the sound of the other bedroom’s door opening and closing followed, but after that? ****  
** **

  Nothing. ****  
** **

  Silence. ****  
** **

  Her breathing continued as normal as she looked down at AJ, sleeping relatively peacefully against her chest. She allowed her eyes to flutter shut, the sound of his breathing music to her ears. ****  
** **

  She couldn’t expect her dreams to be easy on her, but at least she no longer had to fight herself to fall asleep this night.


	2. Simple Luxuries

  Clementine shot up in bed from her previously half asleep daze, wide eyes darting around and breaths uneven. ****  
** **

  It took her a second to realize where she was before her breathing mellowed out and her thoughts slowed down. ****  
** **

  The once pitch black room now glowed a dull orange thanks to the beams of the morning sun shooting in from in between the cracks of the boarded up window. It reminded her of a low burning fire, still in its infancy, just waiting to grow and consume whatever stood in its path. She shook her head. Whatever time it was, it was far too early to be having thoughts like that. Especially since her and AJ were safe now. ****  
** **

  Well, safe from any roaring fires, at least. ****  
** **

  She still couldn’t be sure on “safe from random strangers who let her sleep in their house.” ****  
** **

  She sighed, flopping back down on her pillow. But once she looked over to the sleeping AJ, curled up on his own pillow, the world seemed just the tiniest bit better and she smiled. She turned onto her side to get a better look at him. ****  
** **

  A part of her desperately wished she could see what he was dreaming or thinking about, just to know for sure if he was doing okay in the moment. His face held peace, but who knew what could be going on in his head? She reached out and gently caressed his face with her fingers. His face scrunched up a bit and made tiny noises from beyond his dreams, but otherwise, he stayed asleep. It made her wonder when was the last time he’s had a good night’s rest. Someone could wonder the exact same thing about her, but the only person on her mind was AJ.  No matter how long it’s been, he still deserved to rest easy. They both did. ****  
** **

  After a while of looking at him, it was clear that he wasn’t going to wake up any time soon and there was no way she was going to force him to wake up. She carefully sat up and laced on her boots. Out of instinct, she reached for her hat and slipped it on, her hand lingering over the brim of it, rubbing her fingertips between the fabric. Her eyes suspiciously glazed over the closed door, still locked. She returned her sights on AJ, conflicted on what to do. She draped the blankets over him and kissed his forehead before standing up. She stepped towards the door before freezing, looking down at her gun, which stayed untouched during the night. Her hand hovered over it for a moment before making up her mind and returning it to its rightful place on her hip. At the door, she looked back over her shoulder once last time to see that, yes, AJ was still fast asleep. With that confirmed, she gulped, unlocked the door and carefully pushed it open, thankful for no especially loud creaks. ****  
** **

  She shut the door behind her with the same level of carefulness as she did when she opened it. She looked around to see that the orange light from their room stayed consistent throughout the whole cabin. The other bedroom’s door sat closed, as well as silent, similarly to Clementine and AJ’s room. Next to there sat the door to what she could guess was a bathroom, but she had no use for it at the moment. So that left the stairs.  ****  
** **

  Cautious not to put too much weight into her steps, she crept down the usually noisy stairs. The most that came from it was a tiny creak that was thankfully partially covered by the sound of a nearby bird’s chirp from outside. She quietly exhaled at that. ****  
** **

  Thank you mother nature. ****  
** **

  Reaching the final step, she transitioned onto the ground floor. Her eyes scanned first across the living room then to the kitchen, to which she slightly jumped. ****  
** **

  With his back to her, Eddie stood at a far side of the room besides the kitchen, leaning against the counter and looking out on of the lesser blocked off windows, a coffee mug in hand. Due to the tank top he was wearing, Clementine was surprised to see the number of tattoos laced around his body, from up and down both arms to what she could see of his back, shoulders and neck. They looked abstract and melted seamlessly between each object. There was also a lack of a beanie atop his head, now revealing a messy mop of black hair, curling up and sticking out in random places. She crept forward a bit and when she did, she noticed the dining room table still held their weapons from last night. They hadn’t moved a single inch. Clementine wasn’t sure what it was, a less than silent step or maybe a breath exhaled a little too hard, but either way, Eddie quickly turned around to look at her. In the process, she saw more tattoos peeking out from under his shirt on his chest. ****  
** **

  They both stood awkwardly, looking like a pair of deer in each other’s headlights. ****  
** **

  “Morning.” He greeted. ****  
** **

  Clementine didn’t say anything. ****  
** **

  Eddie looked down at his cup before lifting it up a smidge, as if she couldn’t see it before. “Want some coffee?”

****

  She sat on the edge of the sofa with a coffee mug in hand, hypnotized by the swirling steam rising up from it. Careful not to cut her lip on the slightly chipped brim of the cup, she sipped it quietly. Eddie sat in the cushioned seat next to the fireplace, continuing to sip at his own coffee while peering over at her. ****  
** **

  “Is it alright?” He asked, genuinely wanting to know. ****  
** **

  She reluctantly nodded. “It’s been so long since I’ve had some.” ****  
** **

  “Guess it’s more of a luxury item now.” He said with a small laugh. “Right up there with gas and electricity. We really took those types of things for granted, didn’t we?” ****  
** **

  She couldn’t say she was exactly a fan of this small talk. Her eyes flickered to different parts of the room. “Where’s your friend?” She asked, returning her sights on Eddie. ****  
** **

  He lowered the mug from his lips, holding a slight grimace to his face as he realized it wasn’t going to be that easy to loosen her up enough for a simple chat. “Wyatt’s out behind the cabin, making sure stuff is still secure and working. I offered to help out, but he knows the stuff better. Besides, someone had to be inside when you woke up. I kinda had a feeling you’d come downstairs early on.” ****  
** **

  “What do you mean?” Her voice sounded cold by default.  ****  
** **

  “Well, I mean, it’s not too crazy of an assumption to make that you don’t like it here or us, for that matter. Maybe you just wanted to come downstairs to scope things out when you thought we were still asleep. See if we were hiding anything.” ****  
** **

  Clementine shifted around in her seat, unsure of how to reply. That’s pretty much exactly what she was doing and she wasn’t sure if the fact that he knew it made her feel better or worse. He got it right that she didn’t like them, but she had to admit one thing: He wasn’t quite as dumb as she assumed he was. ****  
** **

  “I can’t exactly blame you.” He sighed, sounding sympathetic. “I’d do it too. Especially if I just got reunited with someone I cared about.” With each passing word, his voice grew softer as his eyes shifted to the back door in the kitchen, still shut. He blinked and shook his head a bit, looking back to Clementine. “How did you and your boy sleep?” ****  
** **

  “Fine.” She muttered, regressing back into her shell. ****  
** **

  “That’s good.” He crossed his foot over his leg, leaning back in his chair. “Did better than us at least. Nightmares did a good job at keeping me up and Wyatt...told me he couldn’t stop tossing and turning. It’s been a hard night, but I’m glad you two were okay, at least for tonight.” He glanced to the stairs. “I’m guessing he’s still asleep.” ****  
** **

  She couldn’t help it. One hand left the mug and subconsciously hovered towards her gun, eyes narrowing. “Yeah...I didn’t want to wake him up yet.” ****  
** **

  Still looking at the stairs, he rested his cheek against his hand. “I didn’t really hang around him a lot at the ranch but...he always did have trouble sleeping. I’d always hear him crying and fussing about something and even when someone tried to calm him down, it was nearly impossible, especially when it was time for his bedtime. I guess now I know why.” He began to switch his gaze back to Clementine. “Because-” ****  
** **

  He cut himself short when his eyes fixated to the gun by her side and her hand growing dangerously close to it. She quickly returned her hand to her mug, avoiding eye contact with him, but he saw. His tired poker face remained, however with an air of sadness that wasn’t there before. He exhaled deeply through his nose and nodded slightly, but said nothing at first. Instead, using the moment as a chance to sip the rest of his coffee. He sighed and placed the mug on the table, turning the handle to face away from himself. Still avoiding sharing his direct line of sight, she instead looked at the mug he was drinking from. Red, paint starting fade and to chip away. ****  
** **

  “You have every right to be suspicious.” He stated calmly. “‘Cause from the looks of things, you didn’t separate willingly from him.” ****  
** **

  Her silence said more than any words could even begin to explain. ****  
** **

  “Call it bullshit, but the ranch was a safe place at one point in time. Did we always make the right decisions every time? Of course not. People say they know what they’re doing, but that’s a lie. No one knows jack-fuckin’-shit about what’s truly the right or wrong thing to do. We did what felt right in the moment and then suffered the consequences every time ‘cause we were never 100% sure. Who is anymore?” ****  
** **

  “Get to the point.”  ****  
** **

  He started looking for the next thing to say. “The ranch was created to take in people who needed help, including kids. When he was brought to us, they said he wasn’t properly being taken care of.” Just the reminder of why they felt the need to take him from her was enough to get her blood boiling. “Of course, we had to believe them. But, if we knew he was forcefully taken from someone-” He sank deeper into his seat and shrugged, making an exasperated sound. “To be honest, I have no idea what we could’ve done. We still would have to take him in to look after if no one else would. But if you were fully capable of looking after him yourself, then he shouldn’t have been with us to begin with.” ****  
** **

  For once, she agreed with him. He should’ve been with her, not them. None of this should’ve happened, but it did. ****  
** **

  “I should’ve fuckin’ known.” He continued. “The people that brought him in, the way they handled and spoke about him...he wasn’t theirs.” He sat up straighter and leaned in a bit, voice softening. “Clementine, I am so sorry-” ****  
** **

  “I don’t want your pity.” She huffed out. “I didn’t even want your ‘hospitality.’ The only reason why I’m here is because of AJ. You said it yourself: It’d be suicide going out there and I sure as hell wasn’t risking either of our lives right after getting him back.” ****  
** **

  Eddie almost looked prepared for a response like that. “And I wasn’t looking to give any pity. The only reason why I’m doing what I’m doing and- and saying what I’m saying is because…because...” He rested his forehead against his palm lazily as he tried to think. His eyes shut as he rubbed his temple. If it wasn’t obvious before, he really did barely get any sleep the night before. “I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s not pity. I know that for sure.” ****  
** **

  “Wow.” She scoffed. “Well done, you’ve officially won me over.” ****  
** **

  “Good to know teens haven’t changed a bit since the dead started munching faces.”  ****  
** **

  Clementine whipped her head around, ready to pull her gun out given the opportunity to. Eddie also perked up at the inclusion of a new voice, not quite having a violent first reaction like Clementine did. ****  
** **

  Wyatt stood in the center of the kitchen, cigarette hanging from his lips and carrying a bundle of wood in his arms. Without a second word, he stomped over into the living room, Clementine eyeing him like a hawk the entire time, before he dumped the bundle into a basket besides the fireplace. He straightened his back out, groaning as reached up and took a short drag, blowing the smoke out of the corner of his mouth. The faint smell stung yet tickled her nose. Eddie stood up, leaning against the other side of the fireplace. ****  
** **

  “How’s it looking out there?” ****  
** **

  “Just peachy.” He droned, pulling out the cigarette and putting it out in an ashtray that sat on the mantel. “No dead heads, no live dudes and certainly no ‘savages,’ as you like to call them. So, if you ask me, a perfect morning.” ****  
** **

  With a sort of sick coincidence, they all heard sudden cries coming from upstairs. Clementine didn’t have time to react with anything besides getting up and running upstairs as quickly as she could, nearly tripping on one of the steps in the process. She couldn’t even tell if either Wyatt or Eddie followed after her. It only took a few seconds but it felt like much longer. Once upstairs, she burst through the door of their room to see AJ sitting up in their bed and crying, knees tight against his chest and a balled up fist pressed up against his eye. Clementine’s eyes darted around the room to see if there was anyone or anything else there, but it was just them. She held her head, realizing she stood up far too fast but still slowly approached AJ. ****  
** **

  “AJ?” She asked softly, getting down on a single knee in front of the bed. ****  
** **

  He looked up, sniffled and crawled over to her, Clementine not hesitating for a moment before scooping him up in her arms. She cradled his head, quietly shushing him and gently bouncing him as she dropped to both knees. ****  
** **

  “It’s okay, goofball, it’s okay.” She hoped the return of the nickname would help a little and she liked to think that it did. “I’m right here.” ****  
** **

  He pulled back, hands still firm around her neck. “Go?” He questioned sadly. ****  
** **

  She felt her heart ache. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left. I just didn’t want to wake you up and I was gonna come right back. You needed to rest, you understand?” ****  
** **

  He rubbed his nose, sniffling some more. “Don’t go.” ****  
** **

  She nodded. “I promise. I’m not going anywhere. Not again.” ****  
** **

  Still shaking, AJ returned his head to her shoulder and she stood up. When she turned, her greatest fears turned out to be true: the two followed her to their room. Well, at least, outside of it. Neither of them attempted to step foot inside, as if they were physically unable to. Eddie stood on the balls of his feet, as if to try to get a better look at AJ. ****  
** **

  “Is he alright?” ****  
** **

  She was in no short supply of glares and sent one their way. “Oh yeah.” She surprised even herself with how cold she sounded. “Just...peachy.” ****  
** **

  Guilt seemed to wash over Eddie’s face as he lowered himself down. Wyatt meanwhile stayed stone faced. Eddie looked like he was about to say something, but before he could, Wyatt placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it. Eddie looked back up at her. ****  
** **

  “We’ll...leave you two alone now and you can come downstairs when you’re ready. We’ll try to have some food ready by then.” ****  
** **

  Without an answer from Clementine, the two kept to their promise and left, Wyatt making sure to close the door. ****  
** **

  She returned AJ to his spot on the bed and sat down next to him, still affectionately rubbing his back to keep him calm. The two sat in silence for a while, Clementine not feeling the need to immediately say anything. AJ patted her knee, but other than that, he stayed silent as well. She watched the light on the floor flicker and change from orange to a more whitish color, signifying the sun’s gradual rise into the sky. This certainly wasn’t what she had in mind with this stay. She had pictured them leaving right when the sun’s beams made themselves known, yet here they were, still essentially stuck in the cabin. She thought back to Eddie’s words about not wanting to force her to stay or go with him. Not once did she feel forced to stay, but once again, there they still were, seemingly about to have less than lovely breakfast with the two. Even the thought of food made her stomach churn and from the sounds of it, AJ shared the same feelings. She looked down and quietly chuckled at the face he pulled at the sound of his own growling stomach. She did hope while at the ranch, they fed him decently enough. She looked at the door, dreading the idea of going back downstairs again so soon but the tiny noises from AJ were motivation enough for her. ****  
** **

  She carefully picked him up and headed for the door, hesitating a moment for turning the knob and pulling it open. ****  
** **

  For a moment, all she could do was stand still in the short hallway, preparing herself for whatever could come next. She finally stepped forward and descended down the stairs. She first saw Wyatt crouched in front of the now lit fireplace, peeking into a pot that dangled above the fire, wooden spoon by his side. Eddie walked in, holding a few plates, bowls and utensils. After placing them down on the table in front of the couch, he glanced up and did a double take at her, who now stood awkwardly frozen on the third step off the ground floor.  ****  
** **

  He gave a half smile. “Well, that was sooner than I imagined.” Wyatt briefly glanced back to see for himself that she was there before returning his attention to the pot. Eddie continued. “Uh, it’ll be a while until it’s finished, but you’re welcomed to wait.” ****  
** **

  She finished the descent and eyed the two before walking around to sit on the couch once Eddie returned to the kitchen. Once she sat down, AJ crawled off of her lap to sit besides her, leaning his head against her arm as he curiously watched Wyatt stir whatever swirled around inside the pot.  ****  
** **

  “It’s carrots and rabbit meat.” Eddie commented, returning with a few glasses of water, setting them down besides the plates. “Would ‘ironic’ be the right word to describe it?” He didn’t notice Wyatt silently shaking his head, still stirring the slow cooking food. ****  
** **

  “You’ve ever seen those cartoons, y’know like-” He tried to make a gesture as if he was eating a carrot, but from the way he was holding his fingers, it looked more like he was munching on a cigarette. “What’s up, doc?”  ****  
** **

  Clementine’s nose scrunched up with a raised eyebrow as Wyatt snickered, an odd sound to be coming from him. “Please don’t tell me that’s how you try to relate to kids. Aren’t you supposed to be, like,  _ good  _ at it, considering that you used to work with them every day?” ****  
** **

  “Hey!” Eddie called out, sounding offended. “I’m great with them. They love me.” ****  
** **

  “I can see that…” He muttered. “Anyways, why don’t you go make like a rabbit and hop on outta here?” ****  
** **

  Eddie cringed. “And you say  _ my _ jokes are bad?” ****  
** **

  “Was barely trying so you can’t make fun of me for it so...shoo.” ****  
** **

  Eddie groaned, annoyed, before turning around, blowing a raspberry with his departure. AJ, being the easily entertained child that he was, lightly giggled at the sound. Just hearing that from AJ was enough to bring Clementine a smile of her own. Looking back over to Wyatt, she saw that his face quickly returned to the stone faced expression he usually had, still focusing on the pot and its contents. She could bet that if Eddie wasn’t there, it’d be nearly impossible to talk to him or get any kind of other expression out of him. Then again, the same could probably be said about her. Glaring came naturally to her and talking wasn’t exactly her favorite activity in the world. ****  
** **

  She then noticed among the glasses of water, there was a single one smaller than the rest. Did Eddie really go out of his way to find a smaller one for AJ? She reached out, grabbing it and held it up to him to see if he needed it. He happily gulped down the whole glass, which wasn’t as especially impressive feat, but Clementine was still nonetheless happy to see him down it all. He let out a long sigh when he finished and she returned the glass to the table. ****  
** **

  “Am I allowed to come back into the living room?” Eddie asked, walking up and stopping just outside the space taken up by a large carpet laid out in the living room. He lifted up a large container of what looked to be salt and some other seasoning. “I bring peace offerings.” ****  
** **

  Wyatt waved Eddie in with the spoon before Eddie set it down besides him. He then walked over to the chair and sat down, immediately leaning in to better watch Wyatt cook. ****  
** **

  “Is that stuff really necessary?” Asked Clementine. She was so used to just eating whatever scraps she could find, seasoning not even being a factor to it. ****  
** **

  “Well, it’s in the house, so might as well use it.” Wyatt said simply. “Besides, it can make whatever we’re eating easier to stomach.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah,” Eddie nodded along. “Like, usually, I hate the taste and texture of fish, but add a lil’ bit of salt and mystery herbs to it and you got yourself a meal fit for a king.” He shrugged. “Or maybe I’m not as picky as I thought I was.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah, you’re not picky.” Wyatt confirmed. “You’d sooner eat leftovers out of a dumpster than complain over a bit of fish.” ****  
** **

  Eddie slapped his hand over his heart, his face twisted into mock surprise. “I am hurt! What do you think I am? Some sort of feral racoon eating whatever my lil’ freakishly human hands can get ahold of?” ****  
** **

  “You want me to answer truthfully or-?” ****  
** **

  Eddie huffed, still pretending to be offended. “So rude. How do I even put up with you?” ****  
** **

  Wyatt took a moment to glance up at Eddie. “Y’know, I’ve been asking myself that for a while now.” ****  
** **

  Eddie had nothing to say to that or the teasing smirk Wyatt had on. His eyes once more looked into the pot. “Shouldn’t be that much longer now.” He poured a small mix of salt and spices into the spoon before dumping it in with the food. ****  
** **

  At yet another mention of food paired with the forming smell of it, Clementine’s and AJ’s stomach rumbled. Clementine cleared her throat, hoping it would mask at least her own noises. It felt so stupid right when she did it. They fully already had the idea that her and AJ were practically starving, so why hide it? Did her pride really want to deny that too of all things? ****  
** **

  “We fed him well at the ranch.” Eddie suddenly said, seemingly unprompted. ****  
** **

  To took some effort, but Clementine turned her attention to him. “Come again?” ****  
** **

  “AJ.” Eddie said, beginning to explain further. “Sometimes, he wouldn’t want to eat, which made things hard, but when he would eat, we fed him well. As well as we could. Kids always ate first.” ****  
** **

  “Good to know.” She muttered. “And you’re telling me this because-?” ****  
** **

  Eddie stuttered with his words before finding the right thing to say. “Ah, well, I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. To reassure you, maybe?” ****  
** **

  “I didn’t ask if he was hungry at the ranch.” She said bluntly. She would be lying, however, if she said it didn’t at least make her feel the slightest bit better if it turned out he was telling the truth. No real way to prove it, she guessed. ****  
** **

  “I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?” After the question, Eddie laughed unsurely. When he saw a lack from a reaction from Clementine, he sighed, looking down at his hands before checking out the pot. “Wyatt makes better food, anyways. Way better than any of the so called ‘chefs’ at the ranch.” ****  
** **

  “Didn’t you tell me that one of them was actually a chef before all of this?” Asked Wyatt. ****  
** **

  Eddie mumbled a bit before trying to wave away the question. “Can you really believe everyone nowadays? No one around really to disprove it.” ****  
** **

  “Was it good?” Wyatt pushed further. “The food?” ****  
** **

  “It was...edible.” He leaned back in his seat and rested his foot over his knee like before. “Look, if this is jealousy talking, there’s no need for it. Your food is better. End of discussion.” He vaguely gestured to Clementine with the back of his index finger. “Clementine will know what I’m talkin’ about once she tries it.” ****  
** **

  Wyatt looked back to the girl in question with a raised eyebrow, as if to silently say “you hearing him?” and for once since they’ve arrived, she found herself relating with one of them. ****  
** **

  “I’ve...survived off of scraps a good chunk of my life, so I’m far from picky myself.” She explained. “As long as it’s not poisoned, rotten or happen to come from a human, I don’t think I’ll be complaining.” ****  
** **

  Eddie clicked his tongue and sighed, sounding disappointed. “Well damn. There goes our dinner plans.”  ****  
** **

  Clementine narrowed her eyes at him. ****  
** **

  Eddie’s own eyes widened a bit as his gaze shifted. He ran a slow hand through his hair and scratched. “Sorry...bad joke.” He mumbled in a quiet, guilty tone. ****  
** **

  After a few especially long moments of silence, Wyatt shook his head. “Oh boy.” He said under his breath. “And I thought that one breakfast with you and my mom was awkward.” He lightly swatted Eddie’s foot. “Is it so hard to ask for you not to give our guests anymore reasons to hate us?” ****  
** **

  Eddie responded with a light kick to his side. ****  
** **

  Wyatt pointed the spoon his way. “Do that again and you’ll be eating your food off the ground, I swear to god.” ****  
** **

  It was obvious they were friends, so these so called “fights” they would have barely brought a reaction to Clementine. At most, it’d just make her roll her eyes and wish she was literally anywhere else with AJ. In a way, it was sort of amusing, just watching two dumb people say and do dumb things to one another and being a mostly outside party to it. It was when they tried to involve her that made her want to disappear the most. Thank god for AJ as he continued to be the only reason why they stayed. If it meant getting food for him, then she could endure this annoying pair and their equally annoying endeavors. ****  
** **

  But it wasn’t too long after that when one of them said the best thing she had heard so far. ****  
** **

  “Yep.” Wyatt simply said as he checked a piece of rabbit meat held up on the spoon. “Think it’s done now.” ****  
** **

  Clementine leaned in a bit, watching as he took the pot out from above the fire and onto a washcloth that sat on the table. He scooped up a generous amount into one of the bowls and after sticking a fork into it, he slide the bowl over to Clementine and after passing a smaller bowl to AJ, she was almost hypnotized with the contents of it. Heavy steamed rose up from the juicy looking meat and mashed up carrots that surrounded it and the smell of it continued to worsen the growls coming from her stomach. But she first directed her attention to AJ, who looked to be equally entranced with the meal before him. Grabbing his bowl and spoon, she first blew on it so it wouldn’t burn his tongue. But once she felt it was properly cooled, she began to feed him, making sure he didn’t make a mess on himself. He happily chewed and gulped down each spoonful, his eyes growing bright with each tasty bite. ****  
** **

  Once he was done, which didn’t take long at all, she placed the bowl down. She watched him pat his stomach, looking pleased with both himself and the meal now sitting in his stomach. It was certainly a cute image, but now it was her turn.  ****  
** **

  She leaned back, allowing AJ to curl up besides her, as she tightly held onto the warm bowl and started to eat. AJ’s reaction to it now fully made sense as it really did taste delicious. As she secretly enjoyed the meal, she couldn’t help but let her eyes flicker up to the two men. ****  
** **

  Instead of getting up to sit somewhere else, Wyatt remained on the floor, sitting cross legged with his back up against the brick exterior of the fireplace. When he would bring up each forkful of food, his glasses would fog up due to the steam, but he didn’t let that deter him. Meanwhile, Eddie stayed in his chair, one leg pulled up against his chest, leaning back at an odd angle as he ate. All the while, nothing was said and though it was partly awkward, another part of it just felt right. Right to leave the rest of the talking after they were finished, she thought. However, Eddie must not have been thinking the same thing. ****  
** **

  “Sooooo?” Eddie hummed, still having a bit of food in his mouth. ****  
** **

  She swallowed. “So what?” ****  
** **

  He cocked an eyebrow. “So how is it?” ****  
** **

  She looked down at AJ, wearing a small smile on his face as he eyed the still partially full pot. “It definitely isn’t just a bunch of scraps and it certainly is edible.” ****  
** **

  Eddie smiled wide. “Hey, I’ll take it.” He put his bowl down on the armrest and leaned over closer to Wyatt, holding up a raised hand as if he was looking for a high five. “We did it, Wyatt.”  ****  
** **

  Shaking his head, Wyatt chuckled. “Oh, you better get that hand away from me right now.  _ You  _ barely did anything. You just got out the spices and shit.” ****  
** **

  Without missing a beat, Eddie swung his hand back to give his own other hand a high five, not holding an ounce of shame to the act.   ****  
** **

  He looked up from his bowl, his face holding so much pity as he sighed. “Oh, but that just made me sad- it was just sad in general. Here,” He lifted up his arm. “Go for it.” ****  
** **

  Eddie happily leaned back forward to land a pretty satisfying smack to his friend’s hand. Only instead of pulling away from it right away, Eddie’s long fingers intertwined with Wyatt’s and he squeezed hard and only then did he pull away. Wyatt was a tad taken aback by this, but he laughed along with Eddie. On the default, Clementine’s eyebrow raised at this, but chalked it up to some kind of in joke she had no problem not being apart of. ****  
** **

  Checking up with AJ again, she saw him looking down at his hands, bringing them together and pulling them apart. He eventually looked up at her and held out his hand, having a curious look on his face. ****  
** **

  Clementine smiled. “You want one too, goofball?” She asked in a soft tone. ****  
** **

  He nodded, so she reached out and gave a gentle high five of his own. She wasn’t exactly sure what they themselves were high fiving for, but hey, couldn’t say no to a face like that. His curious look was replaced with a pleased smile. ****  
** **

  Looking back up, her face flushed a bit when she saw Eddie side eyeing her, wearing his own smile. She averted her gaze back down to the bowl. ****  
** **

  “I didn’t get the chance to ask before, but are you two related?” Eddie asked. ****  
** **

  The red eventually disappeared from her face as her eyebrows knitted together. “No.” She said, shaking her head. “No, we’re not.” ****  
** **

  Eddie didn’t seem too taken aback by that. “Ah, okay. Just figured I’d ask. Family, it’s- it’s becoming more subjective, y’know? Nowadays, who cares if you’re not related by blood? If the bond is there, it’s there. Sometimes the people you find yourself grouped up with- you eventually see them like family. And I can see that with you two.” ****  
** **

  She couldn’t help but feel her face drop at that. He wasn’t wrong. Sometimes you tend you build this relationship with the people you find yourself stuck with. Some bonds were stronger than others from what she’s noticed over the years and some were one of a kind. It was such a bittersweet thing. Those people and those bonds, they made her feel safe, even happy at times, but at what cost? It almost made her never want to form bonds like that again, just out of fear of being hurt by the end of it. It’s happened before and it sure as hell wasn’t going to end anytime soon. ****  
** **

  “Of course,” Eddie continued. “Groups are still something we’re not very used to. From day one, it’s been us-” His voice died in his throat and he sighed. “Yeah, for this long.” ****  
** **

  “What about the ranch?” She really couldn’t care less, but she couldn’t stay silent forever. Plus, something didn’t really seem consistent with the things he was saying. ****  
** **

  “The people there were nice, yeah, but-” He waved his hand a bit through the air as he tried to think. “I guess the bonds weren’t really there. It’s funny. I’ve always seen myself as a people person, but with everything gone to hell, I’ve sorta kept to just a few people- or, I guess, just one.” He eyed Wyatt with that last part. ****  
** **

  “And I’ve never been good with people so...it all works out in the end.” Wyatt chuckled. ****  
** **

  “I’m guessing you two knew each other before all this.” She by no means wanted to “get to know them” in the conventional sense, but she more so wanted to know more about who she was dealing with. She was still far from trusting them, so getting information like this was all she could do. ****  
** **

  “That’s putting it lightly.” Eddie sighed. A part of him knew why she was doing this, but the other part of him, the more optimistic side of him, wanted to believe it was genuine. “Best friends since the day we started growing zits and our first beard hairs.” Clementine cringed at the mental image while Eddie wore a dreamy expression. “Perfect person to be stuck with during times like these.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah, you’re not too bad yourself.” Wyatt teased. By this point, he was already finished with his food so, still holding the now empty bowl, he stood up. “You better not be going all memory lane on us right now, ‘cause you know how I get when you do.” ****  
** **

  Eddie held up his hands in defense. “In that case, I’m not.” He made the universal hand gesture to zip it.  ****  
** **

  Wyatt give him a quick half smile before taking Eddie’s empty bowl as well, followed by AJ’s and Clementine’s. “Guess we’ll be having this for dinner too.” ****  
** **

  Though she just ate, her stomach twisted at the mention of food for a later time. There shouldn’t be a later time for them here. It’s a wonder they stayed for this long. Yet for some reason, she didn’t speak her mind on this. ****  
** **

  Still sitting down, cheek in his palm with his elbow resting on the armrest, Eddie glanced at the still crackling fire then to Clementine and AJ. ****  
** **

  It seemed to be for no reason as he then looked over to Wyatt, putting the bowls in the sink. “Hey Wy, how’s the rainwater lookin’?”  ****  
** **

  “Looked good when I checked it earlier.” ****  
** **

  “Rainwater?” Clementine simply asked. ****  
** **

  Eddie nodded. “Yeah, the cabin came with a thing to help collect rainwater in. For drinking, bathing, all that. It’s not clean on its own, but nothing a little boiling can’t fix. Couldn’t ask for anything more, really.” ****  
** **

  She hated how appealing the location grew with every tidbit she learned about it. This wasn’t the plan. Then again, the original plan wasn’t much of a plan at all: save AJ then what? Then live, she supposed. Do whatever she could to survive and so far, this place didn’t seem like the worse place to do so. She couldn’t let them know that, however. ****  
** **

  “If you want-” Eddie still found it difficult to know what to say to her at times. ****  
** **

  “What?” She barked. ****  
** **

  “Uh, I know I’m not one to talk but...when was the last time you bathed?”

****

  It was for AJ, she told herself as they sat waiting in their room for their bath to be drawn. It wasn’t just about being clean and smelling halfway decent. Being constantly covered in dirt and walker blood certainly wasn’t making them any healthier. It’s been literal years since she’s had one and AJ? She tried her best to bathe him when given the opportunity so he stayed the cleanest of the two. Eddie informed her that they did in fact bathe him at the ranch. Still, she wasn’t about to completely deny the offer. Like coffee and spices, baths were another simple thing turned into a luxury thanks to the apocalypse. She hated feeling constantly dirty, even if it was something she should’ve grown used to by now. ****  
** **

  She looked down at AJ, who stared down at his own dangling and kicking feet, probably not thinking as in depth as she was about the topic of baths. When a knock on the door interrupted her and AJ’s thoughts, they couldn’t help but jump at it. Squeezing AJ’s knee, she stood up, walked over to the door, unlocked it and opened it a crack. Wyatt stood outside, holding an empty pot. ****  
** **

  “It’s ready now.” He muttered. “There’s towels inside and there’s a lock on that door too. If you have any issues, just give us a holler.” ****  
** **

  “That won’t be necessary. We’ll be just fine.” She said coldly, sounding sure of herself.  ****  
** **

  He merely nodded before turning to go back downstairs. ****  
** **

  After she was sure he was gone, she returned to AJ’s side and squatted down to meet his height. ****  
** **

  She deeply exhaled. “Okay goofball, we’re gonna go wash up, alright?” ****  
** **

  He nodded before she stood back up and picked him up. Once she left their room, she hesitated for a moment before entering the bathroom, before swallowing her pride and entering. ****  
** **

  It wasn’t very large, the room only holding a sink, toilet, a set of drawers to hold towels and the bath itself, full of water. She sat AJ down on the closed lid of the toilet before inspecting the water. It was warm and felt good to the touch. She wasted no extra time in getting him undressed and easing him into the water. He must’ve been washed recently due to the lack of any real noticeable dirt or grime she saw on him. Nevertheless, using a small washcloth, she got to work on cleaning him up. When she ran it across his face, he giggled a small bit and she couldn’t help but smile at that. Even if he was washed not too long along, she bet it still felt nice. Messing with his hair rewarded her with more giggles. ****  
** **

  “Now, since when were you ticklish.” She teased as she lightly poked his sides. “I don’t remember that. Certainly new news to me.” ****  
** **

  After more tickles and an accidental splash from AJ onto Clementine, causing more laughter, the two calmed down before it was time for him to get out. ****  
** **

  She wrapped him in a clean towel and sat him back on the toilet and inspected the water for a second time. Still warm and still somewhat clean. Shivering, she quickly got undressed herself and placed her folded up clothes besides AJ’s. She climbed in and sighed at warm engulfing her body. Settling in, she leaned her head back, just to take it all in. The years gone without bathing caught up with her and she let out a small huff of laughter. She leaned back forward to take a handful of water and splash it in her face. All she do in the moment was stare deep into the pool of water, already feeling it begin to clear her mind and skin. ****  
** **

  It was so simple. Things like this used to be so simple. Coffee, spices and baths were never meant to hold this much power to them yet… ****  
** **

  She couldn’t tell you why she felt her eyes sting or why tears mixed in with the boiled rainwater as she sat hunched over in the bathtub. Her eyes fixated on all the permanent bruises and scars on her body, but she somehow knew that wasn’t it.   ****  
** **

  She gulped down a choked sigh as some unaccounted for tears dripped down her face. She prayed AJ didn’t notice as she quickly wiped her eyes and took a shaky deep breath. She allowed herself to slowly recline back and close her eyes. She knew she wouldn’t fall asleep, but she needed to give her eyes the break. ****  
** **

  It had been so long since she’d felt peace and maybe it wasn’t peace she felt in the moment and instead something else entirely she couldn’t even begin to explain. ****  
** **

  Whatever it was, she hated how right it felt.


	3. What's the plan?

  “Clem?” ****  
** **

  At the curious tone of AJ, Clementine blinked and looked down at the small boy sitting in her lap, glancing up with large eyes. ****  
** **

  They were more than finished with their bath at this point and sat, fully redressed in their less than clean clothes, in their room on the bed. AJ had a towel draped across his head as Clementine tried to better dry his hair. She must have started to lose track of herself to instead stare off into space, but thankfully this didn’t go unnoticed by AJ. ****  
** **

  She sighed and shook her head. “Ah, sorry.” She resumed drying his hair. “Got a little distracted there, but I’m okay.” ****  
** **

  AJ hummed and swayed his head a bit from side to side, enjoying the feeling of it. Though she was less than excited to return to their filthy clothes, she was still nonetheless satisfied with how the bath went. It almost made her glad that Eddie offered it in the first place. But she promised that other than the tiny “thank you” she gave when said he’d draw the bath, there would be no more vocal gestures of gratitude from her to him. No need to say it more than once or else they’d get the wrong idea: That she was weak. That she and AJ were nothing more than weak kids, putty in the hands of their so called savoirs. She hoped that by this point, with her mostly cold exterior and the fact that one of them witnessed the events of her at the ranch first hand, they’d get the message and no amount of meals or baths could change that. ****  
** **

  She sighed again. She by no means felt like she needed to completely stop herself from thinking things like that, but...maybe for just a second. In the moment, AJ was where he belonged and as long as he was with her, he was safe. And he was happy too. A full stomach and a clean body really did do wonders for a person. She felt less on edge and she could bet that AJ felt similarly to her. However, she could still feel these fleeting moments of happiness and peace with the more pressing issues refusing to go unnoticed. Things still weren’t completely right. They were still where they were and images from last night were more than burned into her memory. She wanted to smile along with AJ and though it wasn’t impossible, it was hard. ****  
** **

  After patting his head and feeling good about the level of dryness, she tossed the towel to the end of the bed and picked him up to face her. She rubbed a thumb over his soft cheek and smiled, feeling it grow once AJ smiled back. ****  
** **

  “How we feeling? Good?” ****  
** **

  He simply nodded, more than enough of a response for Clementine. ****  
** **

  “Good.” ****  
** **

  But then came the issue of what to do next. They couldn’t stay in this room or even the cabin forever and it was still so early. She supposed the first step was leaving the room. Getting a firm grip on AJ, she stood up and existed the room, making sure to keep her steps lights. ****  
** **

  Shutting the door silently behind her, she could hear muffled shuffling coming from the room opposite of theirs. Ignoring the sounds, she ventured downstairs. ****  
** **

  The living room and even kitchen sat curiously vacant, the only noticeable signs of movement being the still slightly pulsating red cinders in the fireplace and the small streams of smoke rising from the burnt wood. For the first time since their visit, Clementine stepped foot into the kitchen to get a better look around. The pantry carried cans and lots of them, mixed with lukewarm water bottles and what looked to be meat collected from hunting wrapped up in brown paper. Other than that and the small collection of plates, bowls and other leftover kitchen utensils, the room was very bare. Her attention was then drawn to the dining room table, still holding the men’s weapons. She glanced down at her own gun she returned to her hip before continuing to look around. It was only when she glanced to the back door that something caught her interest. Through the small, partially boarded up window of the door, she could see glimpses of movement outside. She sneaked closer and peeked outside, but it was still hard to see. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. ****  
** **

  She grimaced and her eyes pinched together at the sudden strong sunlight beaming down on her, but her eyes quickly grew adjusted. Upon going outside, she also learned that the movement belonged to Wyatt, in the middle of moving parts of logs onto a tree stump. He hadn’t noticed the new additional company at first, so after he placed one large log piece on the stump, he picked up an axe, blade previously stuck to the ground. With sleeves rolled up to not get in the way, he raised the axe high up before swinging it down quickly, slicing the log clean in half. Axe blade resting on the stump, he leaned his arm on the handle as he wiped forming sweat from his forehead and pushed back any loose strands of hair. ****  
** **

  “Ever thought of cutting it short?” She couldn’t help but quipping at the sight of the struggle involving his hair. ****  
** **

  He glanced over to her and AJ, but didn’t say anything at first, wearing a vaguely tired expression. He turned his attention back to the logs and picked them up before placing them in a small pile besides the house. Even after that, he didn’t answer right away. It was only when he picked up a second log that he broke the silent treatment. Even before doing so, his eyes flickered to the back door. ****  
** **

  “I don’t... _do_ short hair.” He answered bluntly. ****  
** **

  Clementine’s response came with a raised eyebrow. “Neither did I, but longer hair is easier to grab. More dangerous.” ****  
** **

  He lightly chuckled at that. “Yeah, I know. Hence-” He placed the log on the stump before standing up straight and gesturing to his bun. “This.” He picked up the axe. “Besides, ever think about why people grow out their hair?” ****  
** **

  “Other than they think it looks good?” ****  
** **

  “Sure, that’s one reason. But also-” Another quick swing down. “Sentimental value. That can be another factor that plays into it.” ****  
** **

  “Then I’m guessing that’s it.” ****  
** **

  “Well, it sure as hell ain’t ‘cause I think I look pretty with it.” He picked up the pieces and tossed them to the pile. “This better not be your attempt at trying to get to know me.” ****  
** **

  She scoffed. “No way.” ****  
** **

  “Good. Too tired to play twenty questions anyways.” Placing the third log down, he didn’t immediately pick up his axe, Instead, he eyed the pair. “If you’re gonna stay out here, can you at least sit down? I get nervous having people stand around me.” ****  
** **

  He pointed to a wooden bench pressed up against the outside of the cabin. She’d refuse, not taking kindly at being told this bluntly what to do, but decided against that. She sat down in the surprisingly comfy seat and placed AJ down next to her. His eyes darted up to the tall trees then down to the lush grasses below them, feet wiggling all the while. ****  
** **

  After that, Wyatt didn’t really attempt to continue the conversation. She didn’t mind at all, nor did it surprise her too much as from what little she’d seen of him, talking wasn’t high up on his list of things he enjoyed. However, she still found it odd. His friend didn’t seem to know when to keep his mouth shut and Wyatt did appear to become more chatty with him, but on his own? ****  
** **

  With the third log chopped and tossed, they saw the back door open to reveal Eddie, poking his head out. ****  
** **

  “Wyatt-” He then did a double take at the pair on the bench. “Oh good! You two are here too.” He looked back to the person he originally came out to see. “Hey, I’m gonna go out to hunt now. Not gonna go to the river, but see if I can get some rabbit or birds instead.” ****  
** **

  “Sure you’ll be fine on your own?” Wyatt didn’t seem too worried, but still felt the need to ask. ****  
** **

  “Yeah!” he exclaimed. “Yeah, I’ll be more than fine. You know me, I’m a tough son of a bitch. Besides, someone has to stick around to keep an eye on you know who. Make sure they’re alright.” ****  
** **

  Clementine merely rolled her eyes at the barely subtle mention of them. ****  
** **

  “Oh yeah,” Wyatt sighed, clearly not being serious. “I’ll make sure they don’t cause any trouble or catch anything on fire.” ****  
** **

  Though he was clearly messing around, Eddie softly smiled at that. “Knew I could count on you.” He cleared his throat and looked around a moment. “Uh, so, yeah. I’ll go now.” ****  
** **

  “Okay.” ****  
** **

  “So, I’ll see you in a bit.” ****  
** **

  “Okay…” ****  
** **

  “I’ll try to get back as soon as I can.” ****  
** **

  Wyatt chose not to say anything to that, face only starting to cringe, but still wearing a small remnant of a smile. ****  
** **

  Eddie gulped. “I’ll miss you.” ****  
** **

  The smile broke out as he sighed and shook his head. “Just get outta here before you start crying.” ****  
** **

  “Too late.” His voice wobbled and sniffled, pretending to sound sad. “Farewell, friend.” ****  
** **

  Wyatt rolled his eyes as he shut the door on him, returning to his spot by the axe. ****  
** **

  “Sure does love to hear himself talk.” Clementine felt comfortable muttering after he left. ****  
** **

  “You don’t even know the half of it.” He got to work on a fourth log. “I swear, he must think that he’ll die if he doesn’t keep talking.” ****  
** **

  Maybe it was the full stomach paired with the bath or the fact that it was no longer the running loud mouth man she was forced to talk to, but either way, she found it easier for words to leave her mouth. “I get that you two have been friends for so long but...why? Or how? It must get annoying.” ****  
** **

  “You’d think so but…” Though he was long gone by now, he looked back over to the door, as if waiting for him to pop his head back out. “He makes me laugh, even when it’s hard to laugh so...hard to completely hate him. Trust me, I have my moments where I just wish he’d shut up, but wouldn’t want it to be permanent. I’d get bored then.” ****  
** **

  “I...still don’t really get it.” She sighed. ****  
** **

  “He, of course, has other qualities I admire, but I know you probably aren’t interested in hearing about them. Besides-” He tossed the log pieces, glancing up at her a brief second while doing so. “You don’t have to get it.” ****  
** **

  It almost felt like he was reading his mind or maybe, unlike Eddie, he actually had had a level of common sense to him. With how different they seemed personality wise, it still had her wondering. She was glad though she could get a break from the other man. As well, she’s glad she had a chance to breathe in the pure, unfiltered air of the woods, fire and smoke only a distant bad memory now. ****  
** **

  Wyatt sat on the stump to take a break, picking up a water bottle that stood nearby and taking a few hefty sips from it. After wiping his mouth, he eyed AJ, then Clementine. ****  
** **

  “I assume the bath went well.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah.”  ****  
** **

  “I’ll be honest, didn’t think you’d take up Eddie’s offer on it. Considering...well...you know.” He sighed as he returned the bottle besides the stump. He rested a single elbow on his knee.  ****  
** **

  “I guess I’m a bit more open to ideas once I’ve eaten.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah? Well, you and me both.” He pushed back more loose strands of hair. “Used to be that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Guess that rings true with teen girls and their boys too.” ****  
** **

  “Rings true with anyone if they’re starved enough and I think that includes everyone nowadays.” ****  
** **

  “True...very true.” He said with a smirk tugging at his lips.  ****  
** **

  Clementine took a break from the eye contact with Wyatt to look back down to AJ, who looked to be growing restless, rocking back and forth a bit, tugging at his feet. ****  
** **

  “What’s your plan?” Wyatt asked, pretty much out of the blue. ****  
** **

  When Clementine didn’t answer right away, he continued. ****  
** **

  “I know what _Eddie_ said the plan was but...I’d like to hear it from you.” He gestured to the woods around them. “You stayed the night and the morning too and with it nearing the middle of the day, I assume the plan has changed a smidge from what it was originally.” ****  
** **

  With that observation, Clementine unknowingly mimicked AJ’s restless motions, shifting around in her seat as her eyes darted a bit.   ****  
** **

  “The plan was-” ****  
** **

  “I know what the plan _was,_ but things have changed.” Though he interrupted her and despite the contents of the message, no malice nor anger was carried with it. Only simple curiosity. ****  
** **

  Her eyebrows furrowed and she drummed her fingers against her knee. Instead of rushing her or speaking up again, Wyatt pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets. He pulled one out with his teeth and after a few flicks from the lighter, it lit up the end of it. The stinging smell slowly wafted and reached under her crinkling nose as she thought. She looked down to the pack that still rested in his palm as the drumming grew faster. She blinked away the small twitch that came to her eye after looking for maybe a little too long. ****  
** **

  When she finally returned her eyes to the owner of the smokes, Wyatt simply raised his eyebrows, silently urging an answer. ****  
** **

  She blinked, stuttering a bit. “R-Right. The plan…” As if the plan was written on AJ, she turned to him, looking for an answer. ****  
** **

  “It’s okay if you don’t have one at the moment.” He said casually, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and blowing a small gust of smoke from the corner of his mouth. ****  
** **

  “I- We do have one.” She snapped. ****  
** **

  He lazily raised his hands up in front of himself, as if to say “alright, alright”, a tired look still present on his face. ****  
** **

  “It’s...the plan is…” Her head felt dizzy, thanks to a deadly combination of the faint smoke from Wyatt and genuine unsureness.  ****  
** **

  She didn’t trust them. She couldn’t. Didn’t even like them yet. But the location, the supplies it held. Everything spun around too fast in her head. She really couldn’t be considering what she was considering. But who knew what the outside land beyond this held. Even before, the plan was vague.

 

_Save AJ._

 

_Run._

_Live._

****

_Survive._

****

_Damn it. Damn it all to hell._

****

  Her head was pounding at this point as she rubbed her temple. ****  
** **

  “Clem?” As before, AJ’s quiet voice and gentle tugs on her shirt helped to bring her back down to reality. ****  
** **

  “Hm?” She hummed, sounding slightly dazed. “What is it, goofball?” ****  
** **

  Even with her attention gained, he couldn’t help but tug at her shirt. “Thirsty.” ****  
** **

  Without much hesitation, Wyatt grabbed his water bottle and offered it to the pair. She eyed it with a level of hesitation probably not needed for a mere water bottle. ****  
** **

  “Would go inside to get another one but...I’m lazy.” He flicked it a bit, water sloshing from within. “So just take it.”  ****  
** **

  After quickly grabbing it from him, she opened it up and wiped the opening with her shirt. ****  
** **

  “Yeah, gotta get those old man cooties off.” ****  
** **

  She glanced up, cringing harshly to let him know exactly how she felt about that. ****  
** **

  “And with that, I will never attempt to tell a joke again. Immediately regretted it the moment I said it.” ****  
** **

  “Please.” She muttered. “Do the world a favor.” ****  
** **

  After cleaning it, she brought it up to AJ’s lips and tipped it up slow and steady so he wouldn’t choke. He pulled away eventually on his own and sighed, licking his lips. She returned it to Wyatt without a second word on it. ****  
** **

  Still not having been told about that plan, instead of pushing it, he glanced over to the shed before standing up.  ****  
** **

  “How about this? While you think about that plan, I think there’s some toys in the shed. With a bit of cleaning, your boy could play with them. Noticed him getting a bit antsy.” ****  
** **

  Even before she could answer, he was already on his way to the shed in question. If he was right, though, it could be what AJ needed at the moment. It’d help to distract him. Plus, maybe she could use the extra time to really think up what they could do next. ****  
** **

  Not too long after that, Wyatt came out from the shed holding a sizable trunk. “I guess I underestimated.” He dropped it down a few feet away from them. “The previous owners must’ve had kids, as sad as that is to think about.” ****  
** **

  He flipped open the lid and left to grab some water and a towel to wash the most likely filthy toys. She got up from the bench before crouching down to peer inside the trunk. Turns out she was right on them being filthy, as well as dusty for the lack of use they’ve seen over the years. She saw balls, cars, action figures, building blocks and a few dolls and that’s just what she saw at the surface level. Before Clementine could say or do anything otherwise, AJ began to climb down from the bench and hobble over to the trunk himself. ****  
** **

  She reached in, grabbed one of the less dusty cars and held it up. “They’re a little dirty, but you think you’d like to play with these?” ****  
** **

  AJ raised an eyebrow at it but didn’t say anything. Wyatt returned to their side with a small pail of water and towel. He sat down in the the grass in front of it and started to get to work. She returned the car to the trunk as he picked up a small handful of blocks and started scrubbing with water. It wasn’t long until the colorful sides of them shined through the disappearing dust. After scrubbing each block, he stacked them next to the trunk near AJ, who watched with large eyes. Still in the middle of cleaning one of the toy cars, Wyatt’s and froze in place and his eyes darted up towards AJ. The young boy flinched a bit, but he still stared. ****  
** **

  Wyatt’s eyes switched over to Clementine’s. “Why’s he staring?” ****  
** **

  “It’s what kids do.” She dismissed. “You’re basically a perfect stranger a him. He’s trying to figure you out.” ****  
** **

  “Like sister, like brother, I guess.” He muttered before finishing up on the car. “Even if the two of you aren’t related, could’ve fooled me. The cautious pair, you two are.” ****  
** **

  “We have to be.” She said, absentmindedly running her fingers over the now clean blocks. She gave AJ a blue one to focus his attention onto. In response, he plopped down next to her and began to play with the small pile of blocks. ****  
** **

  “It’s good.” Wyatt said, picking up a lumpy, unidentifiable toy. “It’s all people have, really. Knowing who to trust and who not to trust. It’s becoming harder and harder to tell with each passing day.” ****  
** **

  “Really feels like it.” ****  
** **

  As it seemed like Wyatt was finished scrubbing the toy, he pulled it back to better examine it. “What the hell is this supposed to be?” ****  
** **

  Clementine's own gaze on the toy narrowed. “Dunno but-” Her eyes then widened. “Wait a second…” ****  
** **

  She snatched the toy from him to get a better look. She ran her fingers of the clumps of green plastic and looked into the shiny purple sunglasses stuck to its face. ****  
** **

  A smile found its way onto her face as she shook her head. “Disco Broccoli.” ****  
** **

  Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “Care to run that by us again?” ****  
** **

  “He’s from some cartoon I used to watch all the time when I was younger. Can barely remember anything from it, but I remember loving it.” She offered it to AJ. “What do you think, goofball?” ****  
** **

  He accepted the odd toy and after a moment of looking at it, he giggled. “Funny…” He placed the plastic vegetable on a small towel of blocks before continuing to play. ****  
** **

  “I forgot how weird most kids shows were back in the day.” Wyatt dug his hand back into the trunk and pulled out a doll. He looked at it for a moment before shifting his gaze over to Clementine. ****  
** **

  She scoffed. “Um, no way.” ****  
** **

  “Eh, alright, alright.” He shrugged before dropping it back into the trunk. Even after pulling out a different toy, he looked back over to her, still wearing a cringe on her face. He sighed. “Look, I already didn’t know shit about kids before all this and I haven’t gotten any better. I’m trying my best here.” ****  
** **

  Even if he had more common sense than his friend, she couldn’t help but let out a small huff of laughter at his cluelessness. “I think I’m starting to understand why you’re friends with him: You’re both clueless. Granted, in certain fields, but still clueless.” ****  
** **

  She wasn’t sure how he would react to such a confronting statement, but the reaction he gave certainly wasn’t the one she expected. ****  
** **

  Wyatt’s resting poker face stayed as he thought. “I’m clueless with kids and he’s clueless with just about everything else.” One of his rare smiles made an appearance. “Guess that means together we make one whole functioning adult. Good thing we still have each other.” ****  
** **

  It was beginning to grow too obvious not to notice. Of the two, it was clear Wyatt was rooted more in logic and favored use of the brain over the heart, unlike his friend. On his own, that remained the case. However, it seemed whenever his friend was mentioned or around, it’s like the more heart driving behavior would transfer over to him as well. It really was beginning to make more sense that they would be friends. ****  
** **

  Wyatt soon gulped and cleared his throat, returning to his original poker face as he continued scrubbing a small army action figure. “We’ve gotten better. Should’ve seen us before all this. Fuckn’ messes, the both of us. You know it was bad when the apocalypse helps you clean up your act better than you ever could on your own.” ****  
** **

  “Can’t say I relate.” ****  
** **

  “Of course you can’t, you must’ve been extremely young when this started. Too young to really fuck up your life that bad” ****  
** **

  Clementine took the figure from Wyatt and sat it down next to the block’s AJ was playing with. “What do you mean you two were messes before? Anything I should be suspicious about?” ****  
** **

  “I dunno. Maybe?” He shrugged, now cleaning a small toy pig. “We didn’t really hang around the best people which...I guess...didn’t make us all that great either. It was mostly drugs. We did _a lot_ of drugs and did _a lot_ of stupid things. We never, like, killed someone over it and I would say that we never hurt anyone but...Eddie...he’s been in his fair share of fights. We were both kinda struggling with things in our lives, not even mentioning the stuff with the drugs. Hell, drugs were a coping mechanism for us. Not a good one, but still…” ****  
** **

  She was far from interested about learning about their life story, but if it meant getting the opportunity to learn about any sketchy backgrounds, then so be it.  ****  
** **

  “If you’re interested about criminal history, I’ll spill.” He said simply. “We’ve gotten in trouble for smoking in public and Eddie has a few counts of assault under his belt, but that’s about it.” He turned to her. “Got everything you need for your background check?” ****  
** **

  She didn’t look back as she watched AJ push over a small forming tower of blocks. “What were those fights over?” ****  
** **

  “Dumb shit. Lotta dumb shit.” Not much of a filter to him, is there? “He’d bump into a dude. Dude spills his drink. Dude gets pissed. Eddie talks back. Dude swings and Eddie swings back harder.” ****  
** **

  “Were they all that mindless?” ****  
** **

  His face fell a bit as he continued to think back. “No. No they weren’t.” He blinked and shook his head. Before continuing, he placed the now clean toy pig near AJ and watched as he picked it up and looked at it with a confused look on his face. ****  
** **

  Wyatt cleared his throat. “But, uh, Eddie’s always had a big mouth, so it usually involved that.” ****  
** **

  She scoffed. “I don’t doubt it.” ****  
** **

  The went of the time went by quietly as Clementine pitched in with cleaning the toys. It wasn’t awkward like she expected it to be. Instead, it was strangely peaceful. Just feeling the cold water in her hands, seeing the colorful plastic poke through the grim and dust as birds chirped in the distance. It wasn’t long until only cobwebs and a small layer of dirt sat at the bottom of the trunk. Wyatt got up with a grunt as he picked up the trunk. ****  
** **

  “I’m gonna go wash this too. So, I’ll leave you two be in the meantime. I’ll just be around the side if you need me.” ****  
** **

  She gave a small nod before Wyatt retired to the side of the house like he promised. ****  
** **

  Her shoulders eased up when she looked down at AJ and a smile graced her lips. It was such a simple, yet peaceful image and she thankfully had a front row seat to it. It had been so long since she’d see him play. She missed it. A part of her wanted to thank Wyatt for offering and bringing out toys for him, but as always, her pride was an entirely separate being with different thoughts in mind. Her smile stayed as she watched him curiously look at the pig toy again then up at Clementine. ****  
** **

  “It’s a pig, AJ.” She chirped. “Can you say ‘pig’? It’s a pretty easy word.” ****  
** **

  He deeply furrowed his brow as he thought. He began to sound it out. “P-P...Pig.” ****  
** **

  She rubbed his back. “Good job. We’ll start practicing more now that you’re with me again.” ****  
** **

  AJ merely hummed as he continued to play. He made tiny noises to himself as he made the odd broccoli toy jump from block to block.  ****  
** **

  Though she could watch him play forever, she really did need to get started on thinking up a plan. ****  
** **

  She could no longer put it aside. She had to come up with something and soon. ****  
** **

  The obvious thought came to mind first: Richmond. ****  
** **

  She remembers making a vague promise to go back but...could she really? After all the heartache attached to the name and all the death and tragedy. And it wasn’t even about the people there. In fact, so  many of the names and faces were beginning to disappear or blend together. It was mostly for the sake of herself and AJ. They branded her and took AJ away from her. Even if the community was in better hands now, it didn’t change what happened. It didn’t suddenly change the fact that she had to look for him in the first place thanks to the early leaders of it. This wasn’t even mentioning the absolute warzone the ranch, as well as Richmond most likely, were in. She managed to get in and out of the ranch safely with AJ, begrudgingly accepting the fact that Eddie played a part in getting them out, but did she really want to risk it all just to possibly go back in one piece? She already left one warzone. There’s no way she was ready to go back into another one. The inside of Richmond itself could be getting better, but one thing stays the same: the bloodbaths between differing communities. The events of the ranch played on a vicious loop in her head as she thought about the idea more and more. She had been so brutal in trying to get him back, but as she sat there, it all caught up with her, rendering her speechless. She never wanted to see another burnt, charred body if she could help it. ****  
** **

  Another equally obvious thought replaced Richmond soon after. ****  
** **

  Going up North. ****  
** **

  Seemed like an option everyone had at this point. The cold being able to freeze and slow walkers. What could be more perfect? Well, food to hunt. That’s what. With it being constantly cold, not that many animals would be too keen on walking around as often instead of being nestled up in a cave or something to stay warm. With no animals to hunt, they would have to hope they’d be lucky enough to find canned goods or anything else for that matter and she wasn’t one for gambling. Those odds looked far from good and she wasn’t about to take those chances. Besides, the travel up there would be hell for them. ****  
** **

  Wellington would’ve been an option if she hadn’t seen what happened to it first hand herself. ****  
** **

  Further down South? ****  
** **

  The boiling heat and the freezing cold: two sides of the same difficult coin. At this point, it’d be stupid to go to either extremes. Staying generally in the middle seemed like the only option.  And like all other places, she’s heard whispers of all the shit going on down south. Shit that they’d be better off not getting involved in. ****  
** **

  What else is there? ****  
** **

  She racked her brain trying to think of any other choices, yet she was coming up blank. ****  
** **

  Did they really have no other options? ****  
** **

  She couldn’t show it, not in front of AJ, but she could feel herself begin to grow panicked. For the longest time, the plan was so simple.

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Live._

****

  It almost became a mantra to her. Something she would constantly repeat to herself on her way to the ranch.

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Live._

****

  But what now? What were they going to do? Where they would go? ****  
** **

  Too many questions and no answers.

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Live._

****

  She scowled to herself. They were far past that. They needed something else! Anything!

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Live._

****

  It almost made her want to cry in frustration. She could already feel her breathing quicken, as if to brace herself for sudden impact.

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Li-_

****

  She blinked and jumped a bit as the sudden return of Wyatt, along with the now clean trunk he placed in front of them. It barely made a noise, yet her mind made it seem deafening. ****  
** **

  “Well,” Wyatt said, patting the cover of the trunk. “Clean as can be now. Though, I’m sure we won’t have any use for it after today. ‘Cause of that plan of yours.” ****  
** **

  She blinked again, eyebrows furrowing trying to process what he said. “What?” ****  
** **

  “Y’know, the plan on you two leaving?” He urged.  ****  
** **

  She stared for a moment before nodding. “Right...yeah.” ****  
** **

  “Which, I don’t mean to rush, but it’d be nice if you could eventually share it. Y’know, so we know what to expect and how soon to expect it.” ****  
** **

  She continued to nod, this time directing her attention to AJ, who was inspecting the clean trunk and incorporating it into the way he played. “No yeah I-I get it. I just-” ****  
** **

  She risked looking back up at him, who still wore a neutral expression as always. ****  
** **

  “I just...need a bit more time...to work out the details.” ****  
** **

  He gave a small nod as he looked around. A decent pile of firewood had been formed near the door that didn’t need any more adding onto. ****  
** **

  “Hey, why don’t we...go inside now and take the toys with us?” He said, gesturing to the trunk. “We usually don’t get a lot of dead heads out here but...well, with what happened at the ranch, I know we’re safe, but I just get a bit cautious, that’s all.” ****  
** **

  She sighed, beginning to gather up the toys. “Maybe you’re right.” ****  
** **

  AJ frowned at this, holding the toy he was playing with close to his chest. ****  
** **

  “It’s alright.” She said to try to reassure him. “We’re just going inside. You can keep playing while sitting in the living room. Doesn’t that sound better?” ****  
** **

  Expression softening, AJ hummed before putting the toy away himself. After putting away everything, she lifted up AJ, who quickly wrapped his arms around her neck, while Wyatt picked up the now full again trunk. He followed them back into the cabin, making sure not to trail too close behind and placed the trunk next to the table in front of the fireplace as Clementine sat down. As soon as he saw the trunk get placed down, AJ’s eyes lit back up before crawling out of Clementine’s lap and hobbling over. He grabbed a few handfuls of toys and laid them out on the table, instantly picking up right where he left off. Wyatt left momentarily to go back outside, but soon came back with the chopped logs and dropped them off next to the fireplace. He left again, this time to go to the kitchen to grab two water bottles for the pair. After all that, he slumped down in the cushioned chair Clementine had seen them sit in so often. ****  
** **

  The silence apart from the sounds of toys gentling knocking and clunking together wasn’t exactly awkward, but after that moment of panic she had, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay silent or to speak up. “What do you guys even do here?” Speak up it was, she guessed. ****  
** **

  “You mean other than live?” He didn’t find the question _that_ funny or even odd, but a small huff of a laugh managed to slip out. “Because...other than hunting, looking for supplies, staying up to date on the water and what we have, that’s pretty much it. I’ve been lucky that barely any actual people come around out here and for the ones who do show up, obviously I’ve done a decent enough job at keeping them at an arm's distance.” ****  
** **

  She picked up a bottle and unscrewed the top. “Were you not apart of the ranch?” After she opened it, she took a hardy sip. ****  
** **

  “No, no I wasn’t.” He said bluntly. “Like I’ve said, never really been good with people or groups.” ****  
** **

  “So…” Her face scrunched up as she thought and lowered the bottle back down. “How did Eddie join, but not you?” ****  
** **

  For once during their conversation, Wyatt looked to be hiding something. He sighed. “I guess...we haven’t been completely honest. It’s really not that big of a thing, at least for you to know, but I know I should be totally truthful if I can help it.” ****  
** **

  She would be the judge of whether or not it was important. ****  
** **

  “We were telling the truth when we said we’ve known each other before all of this. But...we haven’t been by each other’s side this whole time.” His face saddened but he continued. “About just a month in...we got separated and it stayed that way for a few years. I eventually found this place in a lot worse of a condition as it is now, but I stayed and starting fixing it up. It wasn’t too long after that when I ran into him. He was already apart of the ranch and he _did_ try to convince me to join too so we could stick together. But I just...I couldn’t do it. I _wanted_ to but…” He shook his head. “Anyways, he said that it was alright and that he’s come over to see me when he could so he could help me out with the cabin. And as you can see,” He gestured around him. “He kept to his word.” His hands flopped back down onto the armrests.  ****  
** **

  It turned out he was right: This really didn’t affect her in the slightest. However, she couldn’t help but feel a bit grateful for it. Even with this that didn’t even need to be told to her, Wyatt had stayed completely honest with her. She had a pretty good bullshit detector and so far, he’s been completely clean. ****  
** **

 She could feel her features softening, so she quickly changed back to her usual tense resting face. “Well, I appreciate you telling me that. I don’t like lies.” ****  
** **

  “You and me both.” He sighed. ****  
** **

  She took a much smaller sip as she thought back to what they were originally talking about. “But seriously, what do you even do around here? I wouldn’t be able to stand doing nothing so often.” Growing up the way that she did, she rarely ever had time to relax or not do anything. The times were there, but they were far and few in between. ****  
** **

  “Yeah, you don’t strike me as the lazy type.” He snorted. “As for us, we just...hang out, I guess. We’re not exactly talking about the weather all the time, but we find ways. I guess it helps we’re been away from each other for so long. Still so much to catch up on.” ****  
** **

  As expected...the cabin was slowly but surely shaping up to be not a bad place to stay. As for the people staying there, Wyatt at least didn’t seem too bad. She couldn’t say the same for Eddie yet though. Sure, he saved her from being stabbed and drove them out of there but...man, he was just so annoying and she didn’t trust annoying people that quickly. She still didn’t know what to do though. Was the cabin really the only option at this point? There just had to be something else. Even if there was, she couldn’t figure it out. ****  
** **

  At least watching AJ play helped her to calm down, at least a little bit.

****

  Through the tiny noises AJ was making while playing and the sounds of page turning from the book Wyatt grabbed to read from upstairs, they all heard a specific knock at the front door. ****  
** **

  She knew who it was, but she still couldn’t help but slightly jolt at the sudden noise. ****  
** **

  Wyatt placed his book down, got up and opened the door. Eddie came in, as expected, and holding three rather large rabbits by their feet. Once Wyatt let him in, he grinned and did a small pose, presenting the rabbits outwards. ****  
** **

  “Ta-da!” He chirped. ****  
** **

  “Hey, not too bad.” Wyatt smiled back, clasping a hand over his shoulder and rubbing it. “And we still got leftovers plus the fish we haven’t eaten yet.” ****  
** **

  “That’s just me, y’know? Providing and keeping us alive. No big deal.” ****  
** **

  Both Clementine and Wyatt rolled their eyes, but the latter’s smile remained. “Yeah, same goes for me, idiot.” ****  
** **

  Still smiling, Eddie narrowed his eyes at Wyatt before noticing Clementine and AJ. His eyes widened. ****  
** **

  “Oh shit, uh, you guys are still here!” ****  
** **

  Clementine scowled. “Why wouldn’t we be here?” ****  
** **

  Eddie fumbled with his words a bit as he lowered the rabbits. “Well, I mean, wasn’t the plan for you guys to leave soon? Just...assumed you were doing all the talkin’ with Wyatt and be on your way. It’s already kinda getting late. Also just assumed you didn’t want to be here.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah...well…” She looked down at the ground, voice growing quiet. “Plans change…” ****  
** **

  “Yeah?” Questioned Wyatt as he turned to face her. “So you got it figured out?” ****  
** **

  She nodded her head curtly, still looking at the ground. She stayed silent and although they wanted to know, they chose to wait for her to explain herself. ****  
** **

  Fiddling with her hands, she looked over to AJ, who was glancing over to the two men as he played, his hands moving a bit more sluggish than before. He must’ve been growing tired.

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Live._

****

  Eyes flickering down to her boots, she took a few deep breaths.

****

_Save AJ._

****

_Live._

****

  She finally looked up at them. ****  
** **

  “The plan is for me and AJ to stay here. But don’t get the wrong idea. It’s for our safety.” **  
**

  And it _was_ for safety, but eventually, that wouldn’t be her only explanation for their stay there. **  
**


	4. Stay close, but not too close

   There’s no way she could’ve envisioned sleeping in that bed for a second time, yet here she and AJ were. 

****

   After she had told Wyatt and Eddie on her new plan of staying with them, stressing the fact that it would be far from permanent, as expected, they weren’t against it. Eddie talked a lot and though Wyatt didn’t completely revert to his quiet ways, since Eddie was back, he supposed he wouldn’t have to do a lot of the talking anymore. But Clementine wasn’t interested in chatting anymore. At least, for that day. Before the sun started to set, they feasted upon dinner made up of leftover rabbit and carrots. Like before, AJ happily scarfed it down while Clementine silently and secretly enjoyed it. The two men that took them in talked quietly amongst themselves, certainly about something dumb, she thought.  ****  
** **

   Guessing by the small smiles they shared, it was probably the case.  ****  
** **

   She guessed she could at least be partially grateful. At least she wasn’t stuck with people who couldn’t stand themselves, constantly fighting. She had enough experience with that for a lifetime and a half. It almost seemed absurd, but it had to be because it’s just the two of them. If that was the case, she could only hope that the new inclusion of them wouldn’t throw them off balance too much. Group fights were the last thing they needed. At least it would give her an excuse for them to bounce because so far, they’ve been sickeningly kind and genuine to her and AJ. They were certainly a better option then Richmond or the North or god forbid the south, but it still didn’t leave her feeling particularly happy. After everything that had happened, a group made up of just her and AJ seemed like the best choice. So, of course, the inclusion of other people would more than get in the way of that. ****  
** **

   Before they retired back up to their regular place of sleep for the time being, Wyatt had lend Clementine some books for her to read if she were to grow bored at anytime. ****  
** **

   She remembered loving to read back when she was in school, but as she lay in their bed, AJ by her side playing with one of his toys, Clementine found her mind scrambled by the words swimming around on the worn pages. By this point, they all started to blend together. Though it was partly due to the fact that she hadn’t read something this advanced before, her heavy eyelids suggested another reason. ****  
** **

   Sighing, she closed the book and looked down to AJ. ****  
** **

   “Okay goofball.” She started. “I think it’s time for our bedtime, yeah?” ****  
** **

   It took a bit of urging from Clementine to give up his toy for the night, but once she got it from him, she placed the toy and the book on the nightstand next to the flickering candle. ****  
** **

   She pulled the blankets snugly over AJ and gave a comforting smile before it dimmed a bit. ****  
** **

   “I know what I said…” She felt that AJ deserved an explanation. “About us leaving in the morning. I guess I was wrong. But I wasn’t lying when I said we wouldn’t be here forever. We aren’t. But it’s safe here. That’s why we’re staying.” ****  
** **

   “Safe…” AJ repeated, patting the soft quilt on him. ****  
** **

   “Yep.” She said, mimicking the action herself. “The house, and this bed, will keep us safe. And warm too. We would be turned into popsicles out there. I would be a Clemsicle and you-” She lightly tickled his stomach through the blankets. “Would be an AJsicle.” ****  
** **

   He giggled, exactly what she wished he would do, before interrupting himself with a yawn.  ****  
** **

   “Okay, let’s get some sleep now. We need it.”  ****  
** **

   With a quick breath, she blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness. She pulled the blankets over herself, rested her head against her pillow and turned to face AJ. Though sleep so obviously pulled and tugged at his eyelids, his eyes remained partially opened. He had a relatively calm day made up of eating, bathing and playing, but with things winding down for him to sleep, he must’ve had so much on his mind. The events of last night just had to still be lingering with him. Clementine knew they were with her. ****  
** **

   “You can close your eyes, AJ.” Clementine said quietly. She rubbed his shoulder and side. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to sleep just like you.” ****  
** **

   In response, he only snuggled closer to her, burying his head into her chest as if blocking his eyesight would better conceal himself. She took it as a sign to wrap her arms around him and just like that, she could feel his breathing level out. AJ’s quiet breathing continued to be one of her favorite sounds. It reminded her that they were together again and there was no way she was about to let him go. She couldn’t be sure if he was asleep yet, but she was still nonetheless happy to feel his body relax from under the blankets. He needed that at least: relaxation.  ****  
** **

   So did Clementine. ****  
** **

   Although she had urged AJ to sleep and she could feel her own body settle like his, she couldn’t get herself to fall asleep. She had every reason to feel more relaxed or at least less tense than before. Yet, tenseness and the constant feeling of being on edge seemed to be a permanent fixture to her personality at this point. It was the fact that they were seemingly safe that made Clementine feel even _more_ on edge. After all, it’s something she was so entirely not used to. She never stayed in one place for too long and the only reason she would have for sticking around was getting caught up in some bullshit comprised of corrupt leaders, getting captured and being one of the few rational people in whatever sad group she found herself stuck with. Sadly for her, none of those reasons applied to her current situation. ****  
** **

   Sure, Eddie was annoying, but he was far from completely moronic and as for Wyatt...she definitely didn’t hate him. But she _did_ hate how much she liked talking to him. She didn’t want to trust them. Growing up, she was pretty much forced to trust those she was with because it wasn’t like she’d get far without them. But she was strong now. Stronger than before. She still wasn’t a fan of staying with them for more than a day, but maybe this is what she needed. ****  
** **

   She looked down at AJ. ****  
** **

   What _they_ needed. ****  
** **

   For the first time in what felt like forever, they found themselves somewhere safe. Away from wars and kidnappers. People don’t tend to stay in one place for very long, but for now, this didn’t seem like a bad place to stay for a bit. ****  
** **

   She forced her eyes shut and took deep breaths. Thoughts about how warm and safe they were overtook any worries she might’ve been having and soon, she was asleep.

  


   “Clem!”

****

   Just the fact that it was AJ calling her name was enough for her to jolt awake. She didn’t even have a chance to register the tone of the voice. Breathing heavily, she wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead before looking over to see AJ sitting up looking over her. ****  
** **

   Sighing, she propped herself up on her elbows and blinked for a moment to get used to the sunlight streaming through the window curtains. ****  
** **

   “A-Ah.” Clementine stuttered a moment before wiping her face again. “Sorry. Are you okay, AJ? Do you need something?” ****  
** **

   He sat back down onto his bottom and patted his stomach. “Hungry…” ****  
** **

   Upon looking back outside, she realized that there was no way the beams of light belonged to the morning sun. She felt her own stomach growl. How long had she been asleep for? ****  
** **

   She resisted the urge to swear and instead, she fully sat up and pulled AJ into her lap. ****  
** **

   “Yeah, I’m hungry too.” She admitted. “So, should we go down there and ask the dummies for some food?” ****  
** **

   He didn’t fully understand her words, but he giggled and nodded nonetheless. ****  
** **

   She carefully placed him next to her and started to lace up her shoes and pull on her jacket and hat. After that, she stood up and pulled AJ back onto her hip. ****  
** **

   Once they stepped foot outside their room, that now somewhat familiar smell of cooking meat wafted in from the living room right up the stairs to Clementine’s and AJ’s noses. It only helped to intensify the rumbling in their stomachs. She gulped, feeling just how dry her mouth was, took a moment to brace herself and walked down the steps. ****  
** **

   The smell was soon accompanied by the sound of sizzling and frying meat and a loud sound at that. Still lingering on the bottom step, she looked over to the fireplace, expecting to see Wyatt. Instead, she saw Eddie holding a pan out on the open flames and stirring the contents of it with a fork, not taking a single moment to stop his movements. It was as if he were worried it would burn if he were to let it sit for even a second. Maybe it _would’ve_ burned. Clementine didn’t know the first thing about proper cooking. Finally fully making her way to the first floor, she didn’t bother greeting Eddie. She sauntered over first to the kitchen and glanced outside. There was no Wyatt chopping wood from what she could see or hear. ****  
** **

   “He’s upstairs changing.” Eddie said out of the blue. He must’ve seen her from his peripheral vision or heard the wood under her boots creak as she walked downstairs. “While chopping wood, some deadhead wandered out from the forest and nearly got him. He obviously killed the fucker, but got its guts all over him.”  ****  
** **

   “Right...you guys have more than one pair of clothes.” Mumbled Clementine, not even wanting to try to figure out the weeks or months she had worn her outfit for. ****  
** **

   “Oh, do I detect a bit of jealousy in that comment?” Eddie asked smugly, peaking out at her from the corner of his eye, still continuously stirring the food.  ****  
** **

   She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, ‘cause I _really_ wish I were you right about now. It’s practically killing me how jealous I am.” ****  
** **

   “Yeah? Well, get in line with the rest of the dreamers.” He flicked his wrist to flip the food and it surprisingly didn’t spill everywhere. “And be careful, it’s a loooong line.” ****  
** **

   “Asshole…” She quietly hissed to herself. ****  
** **

   He might not have known exactly what she said, but the malice in her voice was impossible to ignore. He sighed and pulled the pan out from the flames. After placing the pan on a worn out oven mit to keep it from burning a hole in the table, he began placing the strips of meat onto various plates. ****  
** **

   “I’ll take that as a big ‘ol hint that I can’t talk to teens.” He said casually. “Kids and babies? Sure. Adults? Hell yeah. The dreaded and elusive teenager? I’d be eaten alive by then before the deadheads even had the chance.” ****  
** **

   “Doesn’t help that you probably haven’t seen someone like me in a long time.” She eyed the still steaming food with a longing gaze, but she refused to sit down yet. ****  
** **

   “A teenager, a tiny girl or someone who doesn’t like to talk?” ****  
** **

   “Whatever answer best suits you.” She ignored the comment of her being small. No point in arguing over something so trivial. ****  
** **

   “All of the above then.” He gestured to the couch with his fork. “Now sit down and eat. You already slept in for most of the morning and since you didn’t have breakfast with us, _this_ is your breakfast now.” ****  
** **

   That finally convinced her to set herself and AJ down. AJ stared at the plates of meat with wide eyes and she could tell just how much he wanted to lean over and dig right in.  ****  
** **

   “What time is it?” She asked, grabbing two plates. ****  
** **

   “It’s been hard to track precise time nowadays, but I’d guess that it’s around noon.” ****  
** **

   She sighed, sinking back into the cushions behind her. They slept in way too late. It was almost enough to have her feeling stupid. Nonetheless, she handed AJ his plate and as expected, he began to shove the pieces right into his face.  ****  
** **

   “Slow down!” She insisted, softly grabbing his shoulder to get his attention. “You’ll choke eating that fast.” ****  
** **

   With cheeks full, he started to chew slower. But once he swallowed it all, he went right back to cramming whatever he could into his mouth. ****  
** **

   Eddie snickered, bringing a forkful of food up to his lips. “Woah, never saw him eating like _that_ before at the ranch.” ****  
** **

   “I don’t suppose you or the others have been teaching him about manners while I was away.” ****  
** **

   Before he could answer, he himself must have been eating too fast too due to the sizable burp that climbed up his throat. He quickly brought up a half clenched fist to his mouth to excuse himself while AJ giggled through a mess of food. ****  
** **

   “I’ll take that as a no.” She said in a deadpan tone. ****  
** **

   He shook his head, awkwardly chuckling. “Sorry sorry. But yeah, you’re right. Manners weren’t exactly high on our list of priorities. It was more along the lines of keeping them safe and alive.” ****  
** **

   Flames danced in her mind and flashed before her eyes as memories from the ranch intruded her head. “Yeah?” She said softly, beginning to pick at her own food. “And how did that work out?” ****  
** **

   His smile of course slipped away at that comment. His eyes avoided Clementine’s as he mimicked the picking movements. Clementine, however, kept her eyes firm on him. ****  
** **

   “Well...you’re here and alive, aren’t you?” ****  
** **

   “Can you say that about the other kids?” ****  
** **

   “A lot of them got out okay from what I saw.” She could tell how little he wanted to have this conversation. She didn’t care. “The guys I work with grabbed as many as they could and booked it outta there before the other side even had a chance to fire.” ****  
** **

   “I find that very hard to believe.” She sneered. “Why were you still there? And AJ?” ****  
** **

   He sighed, looking like he wanted to sink right into his food face first. “I was tasked to stay and mow down whoever I could and act as a sort of distraction while the others would make a run for it. I don’t know what was taking so long for AJ to get out.” He shifted in his spot in front of the table. “Can we just eat now? I can take being grilled and interrogated _after_ I’ve got a full stomach.” ****  
** **

   As she didn’t have anymore questions immediately on her mind, she returned her focus to her plate. She noticed how the meat seemed to be coated in tomato sauce, which made the flavor more savory. That would also explain the smears of red on AJ’s cheeks and chin. She grabbed one of the washcloths Eddie had laid out on the table and swiftly cleaned his face. A small smile manifested on her face watching him giggle and his cheeks squish together. ****  
** **

   “Taste alright, goofball?” ****  
** **

   He nodded, using his finger to swipe and lick up any leftover sauce on his plate. ****  
** **

   “Yeah, I think so too.” ****  
** **

   Eddie finally looked up from his plate and gave a small grin at their reaction to his cooking. Clementine noticed this look and rolled her eyes. ****  
** **

    “Don’t act so proud. I’ve been eating actual garbage for so long and this is only slightly better than that.” ****  
** **

   “Whatever you say.” He hummed. ****  
** **

   Eddie and AJ finished their plates while AJ impatiently leaned against Clementine. She could see him also eyeing the toy box and could imagine just how badly he wanted to dive into that personal sea of toys he now had. ****  
** **

   Just as Clementine was on her last bite, she could see Wyatt stomping down the stairs, wearing a not-so blood and gut covered hoodie. He let out a long, drawn out sigh as he wandered over to the cushioned chair next to the fireplace and slumped down into it. Without Wyatt asking, Eddie gave him a plate as well. Wyatt silently nodded at the offer and just as quietly started to eat his lunch. ****  
** **

   “Feels like we’re back in college.” Wyatt finally said through chewing his food. ****  
** **

   Eddie slowly smiled at the comment. “Glad you like it.” ****  
** **

   He curtly shook his head. “I never said it was good. Just brings back memories.” ****  
** **

   “Good ones?” ****  
** **

   Wyatt glanced over to Clementine and AJ, only for a brief second however. He stabbed his fork into the meat and let it sit for a moment. “Yeah.” He muttered, as if only wanting Eddie to hear. ****  
** **

   It was not her place nor did it interest her enough to say anything on the matter, so she simply placed their plates and utensils on the table and abruptly got up, AJ back on her hip where he belonged. She looked over them, watching their patient eyes fixate on her as they waited for what she had to say. ****  
** **

   “I’d like to get out of the house.” ****  
** **

   “Well damn, whatever happened to sticking around?” Eddie asked, tilting his head. ****  
** **

   She sighed, feeling as if her eyes were going to fall out from how often she’s been rolling them. “We are. It’s just...I’d like to go outside for a bit. Stretch my legs...shit like that.” ****  
** **

   “Eddie should be going hunting soon.” Wyatt said, speaking for his friend. “While there’s still plenty of daylight. You could go with him.” ****  
** **

   “I mean, I could’ve just said that myself, but yeah I wouldn’t have a problem with that.” He began to gather the dirty dishes, including his own. “You could take your gun with you, but we don’t really use them unless it’s an emergency. So, we could lend you a spare knife or axe.” ****  
** **

   “We don’t use the axe anymore for the deadheads.” Wyatt quickly corrected. “Like an _idiot,_ Eddie forgot to clean the blood and it was a damn nightmare cleaning it after it already dried out and I had less time to chop wood that day.” ****  
** **

   “I promised you I’d start cleaning it.” Eddie whined.  ****  
** **

   “Sorry.” Wyatt seemed much more occupied with the food and who could blame him? “But I ain’t budging.” ****  
** **

   Eddie continued to groan and pout like a child before walking over to the stairs. “Fine, I’ll get the machete.”  ****  
** **

   After Eddie went upstairs, Wyatt placed his plate on the small table next to him to focus his attention more on Clementine and AJ. His eyes looked much more tired and baggy that and that close encounter with a walker surely didn’t help. She couldn’t help but wonder how many walkers stumble upon them a day. It must’ve not been that bad as they were still choosing to live where they did. ****  
** **

   “Sorry, didn’t even let you get a word in. You okay to go out hunting with him?” He cocked his eyebrow. “I know he’s not exactly your favorite person in the world, but at least you’ll be able to go outside.” ****  
** **

   She brushed off the comment, shrugging. “It’s whatever. Just gotta try to not let him get on my nerves.” ****  
** **

   “If it gets too hard, come to me afterwards. Maybe I can give you some pointers.” ****  
** **

   Of course, at this point, she much rather be going out hunting with Wyatt. At least he was easier to talk to. He didn’t seem to see her as just a child. He saw her as just another survivor. Meanwhile, Eddie- ****  
** **

   “Alright kiddies, ready to head out?” Eddie called, skipping the last few steps and instead jumping right to the ground floor with a thump. With his gun and knife on one side, he now had a machete in its holster on his other side.  ****  
** **

   “Wait, should AJ really be out too?” Asked Wyatt, still looking to Clementine. “I mean, I trust you with him since he’s your boy and all, but he could maybe...get in the way if you needed to fuck up some deadheads.”  ****  
** **

   “How do you think we’ve been able to survive for this long?” It was obviously a rhetorical question as once she asked, she placed AJ down and swiped up a blanket that rested on the back of the couch. She began wrapping it around her chest and back in such a way that the men were inclined to believe she had done this before. Even when tying parts on her back, she barely struggled with it nor did she glance to either Wyatt or Eddie once to ask for assistance.  ****  
** **

   They merely watched the small survivor work and it wasn’t long until she was done. She sat down in front of AJ and urged him forward. He also seemed familiar with what Clementine was doing and promptly climbed into the twisted up blanket. ****  
** **

   “See?” She pulled a few pieces of fabric to bring AJ closer to her. “We _know_ what we’re doing.” ****  
** **

   Neither men questioned her further on the matter. ****  
** **

 

   “Ever used a machete before?” Eddie asked as his eyes wandered up into the treetops. “You handle it pretty well.” ****  
** **

   They had only been walking through the woods for ten minutes and Clementine could tell Eddie was already struggling with his small talk. It’s not like she would’ve found the lack of talking awkward. It’s not like it would’ve been completely silent. The wind rustling through the trees coupled with the occasional chirps of birds actually helped to soothe her in a way. Eddie’s voice, however, did the opposite of soothe. But she figured if she just played along, it would make things so much easier. ****  
** **

   “No.” She answered bluntly. “But I’ve seen someone use one before. I guess it just stuck with me.” ****  
** **

   “Well, I can already tell you’re gonna be better with that thing than I am.” ****  
** **

   “Can’t be _that_ hard to be better than you at something.” ****  
** **

   “You really don’t like me, huh?” Eddie slightly slowed his pace, pretending to do so to look around for danger. ****  
** **

   She stole a glance from Eddie before continuing to march on. “Just now getting it?” ****  
** **

   “Oh no, I got it as soon as I saved you from that mega douche at the ranch. Just figured that would improve over time.” ****  
** **

   “Well, maybe stop trying to figure me out.” Though it was cold, it wasn’t quite angry like Eddie expected it to be. “I’m not some kind of puzzle or whatever to solve.” ****  
** **

   Eddie carefully considered her words before laughing. She glared at him over her shoulder, feeling AJ begin to play with her hair as she turned her head. It helped her from being completely annoyed. ****  
** **

   “What?” ****  
** **

   “Maybe you weren’t meant to be solved then. I know you said you’re not one, but...all I can think of is a puzzle where you’re so close to finishing it, but then you realize you lost a few pieces so now, it can never be finished.” ****  
** **

   All Clementine could do as he wore that stupid grin was intensify her glare while unknowingly considering his words. ****  
** **

   Ever since Lee, she never made a real attempt to grow close with others or allow them in attempting to piece her together. It’s not what she wanted. If she allowed others to see all the pieces, including those she tried so hard to lose, who knows what kind of heartache she would face. She didn’t even know all the pieces herself. All she was certain of was that AJ was one of the bigger pieces, as well as her toughened shell she had created over the years. ****  
** **

   A shell she wasn’t about to lower anytime soon. ****  
** **

   Instead of replying to Eddie’s observation, her attention was drawn to an awfully offbeat rustle from the nearby bushes. She readied her weapon and soon after that, a disheveled walker came limping out from the swaying bushes. Eddie readied his own knife, but before he could even have a chance to step forward, Clementine dashed towards it herself. ****  
** **

   She first gave it a hard kick to the leg and once it crumbled to the earth beneath it, she thrust the blade of the machete into its head. It was on the ground unmoving before it even had a chance to snarl or growl. Clementine herself barely even broke a sweat and aside from a tiny surprised noise from AJ, he didn’t react much either. ****  
** **

   When she looked over to Eddie, he stood there frozen, his hand still halfway from withdrawing his knife. He blinked, lowering his weapon as a now more impressed stare took over. ****  
** **

   “So...you’ve never used a machete?” ****  
** **

   “No,” She pulled the weapon out of the head, which was followed by a sickly squishing sound of brain matter. “But I’ve used a knife plenty of times, so I figured it wouldn’t be that much different.” ****  
** **

   His response was half a scoff mixed with a chuckle. She kicked the corpse over and to the side before trucking on forward and Eddie jog a few steps in order to catch up with her. ****  
** **

   “You never said if I was right.” He said, finally catching up to her. ****  
** **

   “Right about what?” ****  
** **

   “About that stuff I said with the puzzle pieces.” ****  
** **

   There was no way she was going to give him a direct answer and deep down, he must’ve known it too himself. ****  
** **

   “If I’m a puzzle, I would be made up of a thousand identical gray pieces that would take a lifetime to solve. Meanwhile you,” She whipped her body around and now walking backwards, stared him down, her expression unchanging. “Would be exactly twenty-five blocky pieces and when put together, showed a picture of a colorful ranch totally _not_ on fire and instead, filled with smiling animals.” ****  
** **

   Clementine had no idea that the sound of someone’s laughter could annoy her so much, but it seemed like Eddie was here just to push all sorts of possibilities with her. The only thing that kept her from bursting was once again the feeling of AJ softly fiddling with her hair. She huffed and turned back around. As Eddie followed close behind, a laugh still teetering on the corner of his lips, he noticed AJ staring at him out of the corner of his eye, face slightly obscured by the blanket. ****  
** **

   His smile grew a little less goofy and he gave the boy a small wave. Surprised, AJ quickly turned back around, wrapping his tiny arms around Clementine. ****  
** **

   More wind came billowing in and out of the trees and from the way the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she wondered if a storm was on its way. Even the sounds of singing birds slowly but surely began to dissolve into silence. Now the only prominent surrounding noises belonged to the swaying of tree branches and the sounds of crunching leaves and dirt beneath their feet. ****  
** **

   It made the growls of the dead much more noticeable. ****  
** **

   A small handful of them came stumbling from a clearing, arms flailing and teeth gnashing. There was absolutely no way she could handle them all herself and Eddie must’ve had the same idea as he pulled out his knife and stabbed one of them right through its eye and out the other side of its head. They all mostly began to gather around Clementine and though she had refused to yell for help from Eddie, he still rushed over to slash as many as he could. Clementine herself was doing well herself, however, she found herself much more occupied with keeping the walkers far from AJ rather than actually killing them. In fact, Eddie ended up killing four, while Clementine only ended the undead lives of two. It had her feeling unreasonably frustrated, but she tried hard not to show it. ****  
** **

   “Think they came from the ranch?” Eddie asked, fiddling with his knife. ****  
** **

   She took a few steps away from him, eyeing the knife. Sure, he was able to knock more than a few heads together, but that didn’t mean she entirely trusted him with that knife. “Dunno.” She huffed, now eyeing their surroundings, trying her best to tune him out and tune in to the sounds of the woods. ****  
** **

   He continued to blather on about god knows what. Her eyes kept flickering from the trees to the machete that swung by her side. Of course, thick dark blood dripped from the blade and onto the rocks and patches of dead grass belong her. Eventually, she stopped looking up to the trees and focused almost all of her attention entirely on the blade.  ****  
** **

   Each drop fell slowly and she swore with each drop, the sound of it hitting the forest floor intensified. Even the smell was starting to cause her eyes to water and her nose to twitch. ****  
** **

   Her grip tightened and her hand shook. ****  
** **

   It wasn’t enough. ****  
** **

   She still felt so on edge. ****  
** **

   She was holding back, but she had to. ****  
** **

   With AJ on right on her back, she had to. ****  
** **

   AJ first, her second. ****  
** **

   AJ first- ****  
** **

   “Uh, Clementine?” ****  
** **

   She was so lost in her thoughts, she found herself bumping into a tree. She cursed in surprise, stepping back and furiously wiping her face in cause a bug found its way onto her. Upon feeling, she found that the bark only left a small scratch on her cheek. ****  
** **

   Her face then began to grow red, both in anger and embarrassment. Her hand still tightly wrapped around the machete, she whipped around to face Eddie. ****  
** **

   To her surprise, instead of a smirk or a cackle leaving his mouth, his eyes were wide and though his expression was mostly unreadable, it was hard not to notice the concern. ****  
** **

   “What?” She snapped. “Not gonna laugh?” ****  
** **

   “No?” He said, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head. “Why would I?” ****  
** **

   “Just figured you would.” She grumbled. Glancing down at the tree she bumped into, she noticed a walker sitting against it, who slowly looked up at her and reached up. The blade of the machete plunged right through the top of its head and she kicked it to the ground with barely any effort. More blood soaked the weapon and for a moment, it was as if she was going to be sucked right back into that trace she was in earlier.  ****  
** **

   “Has this been helping at all?” ****  
** **

   She looked up at him, but didn’t say anything. ****  
** **

   “Being outside, I mean.” ****  
** **

   Groaning, she stabbed the machete into the ground and started to pace around it. “Maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know what I wanted out of this. Clearly, it’s not working.” ****  
** **

   “Well, we haven’t been out here for that long yet.” He didn’t know exactly how to help or what to say, but he decided just to say whatever came to him. “Just give it some time?” ****  
** **

   “I’m tired of waiting.” Just as quickly as she stuck the weapon into the dirt, she pulled it back out and continued down the trail. ****  
** **

   “If you’re tired of waiting, what’re you doing now?” Eddie called. ****  
** **

   “Gonna try to find more walkers.” She called back, slashing stray branches that happened to be in her way. “I think killing them has been helping, but I need to do more of it.” ****  
** **

   “But what about-?” ****  
** **

   His voice was interrupted by some sniffling right next to her ear. She froze in her tracks as she felt AJ shake in the makeshift carrier. ****  
** **

  Had she forgotten what she just told herself? ****  
** **

   She buried her face into her hands and sighed deeply as Eddie caught up to them. ****  
** **

   “Ah jeez, he doesn’t look too happy. Plus, he’s got some walker goo on him.” ****  
** **

   Just as he started to reach out to help wipe the blood, Clementine quickly turned around, getting up in his face. She looked like she wanted to say something so badly, but after a moment of intense stares, she slowly rocked off the tips of her toes and took a step back from him. ****  
** **

   Eddie waited a moment but eventually spoke up again. “Listen, if you wanna go fuck up some deadheads to let off steam, I get it. But, I think it’s gonna be hard to do that with AJ strapped to your back. Trying to focus on two things like that will just get you more pissed and it’s dangerous.” ****  
** **

   “I know that.” She growled. “I’m not stupid.” ****  
** **

   “Then don’t be stupid.” ****  
** **

   “What should I do then, huh? Just have him sitting on a rock or on a branch?” ****  
** **

   Only then did Eddie give that annoying half smile she had expected to see when she ran into a tree. “Um,” he opened his arms up and laughed. “I’m right here!” ****  
** **

   “You’re still not funny.” She said, beginning to turn and walk away from him. ****  
** **

   “I’m not trying to be funny!” He carefully stepped over stray rocks and roots as he tried to catch up with her. “You think I haven't learned anything while at the ranch? They’d bust my balls anytime I even thought about holding a kid the ‘wrong’ way.” ****  
** **

   He finally walked in front of and blocked Clementine from moving forward. ****  
** **

   “I know what I’m doing. I can look after him in the carrier while you...do whatever it is you need to do.” ****  
** **

   She won’t lie and found no reason to lie: she despised the idea of someone besides her holding AJ. The thought of him in someone else’s eyes made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and heart beat irregularly. Not one single good feeling came to her. ****  
** **

   “After all this time of helping to look after him at the ranch, do you still not-?” ****  
** **

   “How about a question for you?” She snapped, once again getting all up in his face. “Do you ever shut up?”  ****  
** **

   “I really don’t want to have a yelling match with you right now in the middle of a forest, so” He sighed, rubbing his temple. “I’ll shut up, okay? I’ll shut up if you trust me with AJ.” ****  
** **

   More than anything, she wished she had all the time in the world to make her decision. Sadly, the world neither the walkers who now roamed it gave a damn.  ****  
** **

   She needed this. She just had to find a way to properly blow off steam, but she couldn’t do it while putting AJ in danger. She’d either be too busy killing walkers to pay attention to him or too focused on him to keep both of them safe ****  
** **

   Besides...the more she looked and learned of Eddie, the more it clicked with her how she could absolutely take him on in a fight if he did happen to be lying. ****  
** **

   “You can’t...hold him in your hands.” She carefully began to unwrap the blanket, sitting down on a nearby rock to steady herself. “You have to use the blanket.” ****  
** **

   He almost couldn’t believe it, but he didn’t feel the need to question her, fearing that she would change her mind. ****  
** **

   “That won’t be a problem at all.” He replied in the most non-threatening tone he could manage. ****  
** **

   Just as quickly as the blanket was off of her, she began to tie it around Eddie’s chest. He grunted a few times in surprise at how tightly she insisted it had to be. ****  
** **

   “I want to be able to see him.” She explained. “So, don’t stray too far or else this machete will end up in your head.” ****  
** **

   Eddie nodded, wearing a tight lipped smile. “Hear you loud and clear. Anymore sound advice you wish to share with me, oh so knowledgeable one?” ****  
** **

   “Yeah.” She finally began to lower AJ into the carrier, making sure to stare directly into his eyes as she did so. “I can run faster than you. Just something to keep in mind.” ****  
** **

   His smile twitched a bit, allowing some nervousness leak out as a result, but continued to nod. “Loud and clear.” He said, almost croaking. ****  
** **

   It was almost enough to get her to laugh. However, she instead gave a sneaky half grin to further intimidate him. ****  
** **

   AJ meanwhile, had calmed down from his previous shakes and was now looking up curiously at Eddie. Clementine could bet that he didn’t really recognize him from the ranch. At least, not in the way he recognized her. That being said, AJ didn’t seem too nervous or unsure of the man, wearing a sort of dazed expression as he observed him. Clementine patted his head, causing him to look back at her. She gave him a tiny peck on the cheek and rubbed his back through the surprisingly soft blanket. ****  
** **

   “I won’t be far.” She simply said. As expected, her voice grew curt once she looked back up at Eddie. “And you better be the same.” ****  
** **

   With a quick turn on her heels, she and Eddie continued down the path, Eddie making sure not to stray too far from her. ****  
** **

   Even though he was right behind her, she still felt the need to turn her head every once in a while to see if Eddie and AJ were still there.The gentle cooing and sniffs of AJ helped to ease her, but only a bit. ****  
** **

   It wasn’t long until the familiar groans of the dead took over. ****  
** **

   “Keep AJ away from them, but don’t go far.” Clementine commanded as she readied the machete. ****  
** **

   Eddie complied to her words and took a step back, holding out his knife in case any of them dared to close in on him and the young boy. ****  
** **

   Now, a dozen emerged from the trees, all looking just as hungry as the ones before them. They all pretty much looked the same, with their tattered hair, blood soaked teeth and broken limbs and it had Clementine question whether or not she was seeing double. After shaking off that feeling of uncertainty, she swung the blade towards the group, yelling in what seemed to be unrelenting anger. The blade cut through the head of one of them, slicing it in half and sending blood gushing from the wound to Clementine. She sharply kicked the shins of many walkers before harshly slashing their heads into many pieces. Even after collapsing to the ground, the walkers weren’t safe from her. She plunged the blade into the chest of one before swiftly pulling it out and nearly decapitating one still standing. ****  
** **

   At this point, her heart was pounding at a fast rate and her teeth gritted as not to yell too loud. That didn’t work out too well it turned out as she cried in frustration as the blade got stuck in one of their heads. She eventually used her foot to pry it out before plunging it back in, going much deeper into the skull. The sounds of blood gushing and bones snapping was oddly satisfying, especially considering she no longer had a reason to hold back.  ****  
** **

   Sweat dripped down her face, mixing with whatever drops of blood happened to splatter across her. ****  
** **

   For one walker, before even attempting to go for the head, she first amputated both of its arms. They didn’t fall off cleanly in the slightest and when the right one still hung loosely from its shoulders thanks to some strands of muscle, she took it upon herself to grab it and harshly yanked it off. After tossing it aside, only then did she thrust the blade up and through its head from the bottom of its chin. As she did so, she stared intensely into its eyes. They were milky white, but blood pooled at the bottom of them almost like tears. ****  
** **

   Once the blade was removed, it slumped to the ground along with the rest of them. ****  
** **

   It seemed as if they were all dealt with. ****  
** **

   “Clementine-!” ****  
** **

   Just then, she felt a fidgeting and boney hand grab her shoulder. Barely moving her head, she grabbed the hand and with a surprising amount of ease, she flung the frail walker over her shoulder and threw it down to the ground. A mix of a yell and growl erupted from her and she violently stabbed its head multiple times. ****  
** **

   After that, nothing. ****  
** **

   No more groans. ****  
** **

   Even the rustling of leaves on the trees seemed to silence themselves. ****  
** **

   Now only her harsh breathing and heart that thumped loudly through her body and ears fueled her. ****  
** **

   Yet, even after this, she now felt strangely...at peace. ****  
** **

   Like this really was exactly what she needed. ****  
** **

   She allowed herself a small laugh as she sighed with what felt like relief. ****  
** **

   Remembering the others with her, she quickly turned around. ****  
** **

   Eddie stood there, frozen, holding AJ close to him through the blanket while wearing a dazed and shocked look on his face. It looked as if he were holding his breath and only remained breathing once all walkers were dead for real. ****  
** **

   “Jesus, Clementine…” ****  
** **

   She then looked down at her blood soaked clothing and grimaced at both the discomfort and stench of it. It didn’t help how much it reminded her of all the times she had to hide amongst the walkers covered in guts. **  
**

“On second thought...maybe I _am_ a bit jealous that you have more than one pair of clothes.” **  
**


	5. No saints or devils, only people

   Wyatt and Eddie hardly had enough water to draw a second bath in such a short span of time, but they weren’t heartless as to not offer no water at all. ****  
** **

   With a small bucket, Clementine stood in the tub, shivering as she wiped herself down with freezing cold water as she did her best to scrub off any walker blood that happened to seep through her clothes. Thankfully, it wasn’t a lot. The clothes themselves, however, were quite ruined. She tried to use any remaining water she had to sink and wring out the filth in them, but it wasn’t enough. ****  
** **

   Sighing deeply, she hung her head, seemingly in defeat.  ****  
** **

   But not all hope was lost. ****  
** **

   Looking back up, her eyes scanned over AJ, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, and over to a small stack of mostly clean clothes Wyatt and Eddie had given her. They had apparently dug through their stash of clothes to find something small enough that could fit her and gave her whatever they thought could work in her favor. She could only imagine how hard it was considering they never planned on having a teen girl join their tight-knit group. ****  
** **

   After drying off, she carefully stepped out from the tub and began inspecting the clothes. ****  
** **

   The jeans they gave her were on the small side if they were for a man, but they gave her a belt even if they were still too baggy for whatever reason. She reckoned that with a belt and rolling up the cuffs, she’d be more than fine. Next was a t-shirt, which was covered in skulls and flames and other overly masculine things of that nature. There were words too, but Clementine found it impossible to read. Finally, a simple red flannel button up. She still wasn’t fond of the idea of wearing clothes the other two had most definitely worn, but it beat the alternative.  ****  
** **

   “I better not look stupid.” She muttered to herself.  ****  
** **

   Upon stepping into the jeans, they were still a bit on the big side for her, so she made quick use of that belt. The shirt made it feel like she was wearing a damn parachute and she only felt better about it once she tucked it into the jeans and threw the button up on top of it. She felt more complete once she returned her hat to her head and looked into the grimy mirror of the bathroom. It definitely wasn’t her  _ worst  _ look. That title belonged to that horrendous blue down jacket from days of the past. Practically made her a moving target. ****  
** **

   She glanced back at the sopping wet clothes she had abandoned on the floor, ****  
** **

   “It’s not like they’re going anywhere.” She said dismissively, picking AJ back up into her arms after finally slipping her boots back on. ****  
** **

   When she opened the door, she was surprised to see them both waiting right outside for her. ****  
** **

   Eddie greeted her with a warm smile before glancing down at what she was wearing. “Oh, I guess they  _ do  _ fit, huh? That’s good.” He let out a small laugh, looking to Wyatt then back to Clementine. “Kinda reminds me of...well...me!” ****  
** **

   Clementine pulled a confused sneer. “How?” ****  
** **

   “When I was around your age, I dressed a lot like that. Only the jeans would be a  _ lot  _ more ripped up.” ****  
** **

   “Didn’t people wear animal skins in the stone ages and  _ not  _ ripped jeans?” ****  
** **

   She will admit seeing Wyatt smile and snicker to that had her smiling too. Eddie on the other hand, rolled his eyes, face scrunching up as he mockingly laughed.  ****  
** **

   “Y’know, it really is a damn shame the world had to come crashing down, ‘cause if it didn’t, I can only imagine how much you’d be killin’ it as a comedian.” ****  
** **

   “Sounds better than having to kill walkers all the time.” She said, adjusting her belt in the process with a free hand. Her eyebrows scrunched up when she remembered she should probably say something else. “And, uh...thanks, by the way, for the spare clothes.” She said this while mostly looking Wyatt’s way. ****  
** **

   “Well, most, if not all, of the clothes came from Eddie’s wardrobe, so-” He not-so-subtly gestured to his friend with a tilt of his head.  ****  
** **

   As expected, she looked over to Eddie to see him grinning smugly. “I guess being a smaller guy has its perks.” ****  
** **

   She blankly stared at him for a moment before pushing past the two of them to go back downstairs. “Yeah, your clothes are able to fit on a teenage girl. Good for you.” ****  
** **

   She could hear Eddie babbling in confusion and though Wyatt tried to calm him down, she can tell he was laughing. ****  
** **

   Once she sat down on the couch, AJ crawled out of her lap and onto the soft cushions beside her. She could tell just how much he was beginning to like that spot and she couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t long until Eddie came stomping downstairs, mumbling to himself about who knows what. ****  
** **

   “You’re lucky Wyatt offered to clean those disgusting clothes you left just crumpled up and left on the floor.” He sighed, slumping down into the armchair by the fireplace. ****  
** **

   “How does that make me lucky? If you were cleaning them instead, I wouldn’t have to see your face and hear your voice.” ****  
** **

   He groaned, bringing his hands up to his face and slumping further into his seat. “I took you out for a deadhead killing spree and  _ this _ is what I get in return?” ****  
** **

   “What do you want? A cookie?” ****  
** **

   He shrugged, arms flopping to his sides. “Honestly? A cookie sounds nice right about now. It’s been forever since I’ve had anything sweet. It’d probably give me a sugar rush and then kill me instantly though.” He irritated face soon relaxed and a more tired expression took over. “Then again, I wasn’t really expected anything out of this. Did it help you at least?” ****  
** **

   Teasing aside, she began to think more about the trip out into the outside world.  ****  
** **

   It felt like forever since she’s been able to really cut loose on a group of walkers like that, while not having to worry about AJ at the same time. She didn’t have to be so careful anymore in those brief few minutes she was covered in blood and guts. She only had herself to worry about and she knew just how strong she was. ****  
** **

   “I mean, I suppose it somewhat helped.” She crossed her arms, avoiding eye contact with him completely. ****  
** **

   “Really?” He sounded surprised that she would even admit to it. ****  
** **

   She scoffed. “If you’re trying to make me say it again, it’s not gonna work.” ****  
** **

   He stayed quiet, but based on that annoying smile beginning to grow across his face, she could tell it was more than enough for him. ****  
** **

   A gentle patting sound coming from beside her caught Clementine’s attention and she saw AJ patting his belly, a wordless signal that he was hungry. ****  
** **

   “It’s not yet time for dinner,” Eddie began, clearly seeing what was riling AJ up. “But I can see if we have anything on the small side he can eat until then.” He chuckled to himself as he stood up from his chair. “It’s a good thing we’ve become sort of hoarders at this point. We’re bound to have something for the lil’ guy to chew on.” ****  
** **

   With that, he left for the kitchen and Clementine could make out the quiet sounds of rustling boxes and containers bumping in to one another. ****  
** **

   “Hey, I think we have some oatmeal left!” He called from the pantry. “I could whip him up a small bowl and it’d only take a few minutes!” ****  
** **

   “Sure, whatever.” Clementine herself wasn’t too interested, but she noticed AJ’s head pop up at the mention of food.  ****  
** **

   She could now hear the sounds of water sloshing into a pot and it wasn’t long until he joined the two kids in the living room, now kneeling down in front of the fireplace, setting the pot to hang right above the dry logs. Soon, a low flame sat nestled within the logs, just waiting to grow. Out of instinct, AJ huddled closer to Clementine at the sight of the weak flame. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had to work up to being comfortable around fire again and she wouldn’t blame him one bit. She herself still shuddered at the idea of seeing a stray dog in the wilderness. Even just thinking about it seemed to set the healing bite mark aflame. She winced and double checked to see if it was covered up properly with the flannel. ****  
** **

   It was. ****  
** **

   “From what I can remember from the last time I’ve had this stuff, it’s  _ reaaalllyy  _ messy, so I’ll be sure to get a towel or something for him. We don’t need him having another bath or to have him getting mush all over the couch.” Eddie explained as he watched the water begin to boil. “This couch has seen enough stains for a lifetime. What with blood and...yeah, pretty much just blood.” ****  
** **

   She looked down at the cushioning, which looked relatively clean, all things considered. “You actually took the time and energy to clean this?” ****  
** **

   “It took a lot of scrubbing on our ends but...yeah, we did.” He was onto pouring the oatmeal mix into the simmering water. “This is Wyatt’s- our home after all.” He paused, looking over and pointing the wooden spoon he was using to Clem. “Did he tell you? About how I helped him fix all this up?” ****  
** **

   “Briefly.” ****  
** **

   He sighed wistfully. “Man, it was great. We had to save up quite a lot of water and I had to sneak down here at the crack of dawn to see just how much I could get done with the short amount of time and we did it. And…” He seemed to be hesitant with his words, as if trying to figure out the best thing to say. “Obviously, I’m not happy with how things went at the ranch, quite the opposite really, but...at least I don’t have to be sneaking around anymore. It put me on edge and had me all jumpy and shit. Reminded me of when I first quit smoking cold turkey. It sucked.” ****  
** **

   “I didn’t recall asking for all that.” Clementine said, sounding bored as can be. “I just wanted to know about the damn couch.” ****  
** **

   “We tried our best cleaning everything. From the couch to the nightstand in your room-” ****  
** **

   “-In my  _ temporary _ room-”  ****  
** **

   “In your  _ temporary _ room, of course.” He said, correcting himself. “But, we really tried to make this place our own and, in my opinion, I think we did a pretty alright job.” ****  
** **

   “It’s definitely not the worst place I’ve had to stay and before you get all cocky, that’s not saying a lot.” She narrowed her eyes at him as he began to stir the oatmeal. “But I have a feeling you feel pretty damn proud of yourself.” ****  
** **

   “Got it right on the nail.” He will admit of how curious he was of Clementine’s past. Just how bad did it get? “Care to give an example of a place you begrudgingly rank lower than our humble abode?” ****  
** **

_ Well, there was a farm where they tried to feed me my friend’s leg. _ ****  
** **

   “Stayed at a motor inn for a while after this all started.” ****  
** **

   “Well, hey, that doesn’t sound all that bad. Plenty of rooms and beds to use and since you said you stayed for a while, must’ve been somewhat safe.” ****  
** **

   “Yeah...until it wasn’t.” She didn’t hold back with that grave tone of hers. ****  
** **

   The two were silent for an entire, uncomfortable minute when Eddie finally decided now was the time for some awkward laughter.  ****  
** **

   “I, uh, slept up in a tree once. It’s any wonder how I didn’t manage to fall during the night.” He snickered again, continuing to think back on it. “I actually woke up to a blue jay screaming right into my ear. By the time I woke up and swatted the thing away, my ears were literally ringing. Fuckin’ nasty birds.” ****  
** **

   “Geese are worse.” She didn’t know what prompted this sudden comment, but it had reminded her about all the times she had been to the park with her parents and been warned to leave any geese they happened to see. She was usually smart about following directions from her parents, but things were different this time for some reason. They reminded her so much of ducks and she liked ducks, so- ****  
** **

   Eddie cringed. “You’re right. Geese suck majorly. They freak me out too. Always hissing and shit.” ****  
** **

   “It’s a good thing animals can’t seem to turn.” ****  
** **

   Eddie got a kick out of that, laughing much more naturally now. “Jesus, I can’t even imagine. Like, undead squirrels and coyotes and bears? I think it’s safe to say we’d be screwed.”  ****  
** **

   It was partly funny to imagine, sure, but Clementine couldn’t help but be saddened by the idea. Not even pets would be given the chance to rest. ****  
** **

   “Do you think the animals would be slow too? Even if, like, it was a cheetah? What about birds? Would they even be able to fly? Or-?” ****  
** **

   “We could spend the whole day wondering, but I really see no point in it.” She didn’t hesitate to quickly cut him off. “Is the oatmeal almost finished?” ****  
** **

   “Oh, uh, right.” He glanced into the pot. “Yeah, shouldn’t be too much longer now.” His eyes then darted to the top of the stairs. “Hey, Wyatt?” ****  
** **

   As Eddie continued talking, Clementine looked behind her to see Wyatt walking down the stairs. “Could you grab a towel for me? I’m whipping up some oatmeal for AJ.” ****  
** **

   “Hungry guy, isn’t he?” Wyatt casually commented, strolling right into the kitchen once he reached the ground floor. “I don’t think we can afford to snack often, but I’ll let it slide this time. If you ask me, it’s probably ‘cause AJ really  _ wasn’t  _ being fed that well.” ****  
** **

   “He was though!” Eddie called, clearly offended by the accusation. “Hell, I would go days without eating just to make sure all the kids were fed first!” ****  
** **

   “A likely story.” Once he made his way into the living room, he had a towel twisted up in his grip, hovering it over Eddie’s head. “Confess to your crimes of being a greedy fuck with food. You were before all this shit and you still are.” ****  
** **

   Covering his head with spoon in hand, he laughed wildly, but still tried playing along. “Please! Mercy! I’ve been framed! I want a lawyer!” ****  
** **

   “Like you have the money.” He ended the statement by slapping the towel on top of his head and leaving it there to go sit in the armchair Eddie had abandoned.  ****  
** **

   After tugging the towel off, Eddie tossed it onto the coffee cable, shooting daggers in Wyatt’s general direction. He sighed deeply and that’s when he finally began to scoop the cooked oatmeal into a bowl for AJ, blowing a few quick cool breaths into it before handing it over to Clementine. ****  
** **

   “Give it a sec to cool.” He stood up. “I’ll get you both some water.” ****  
** **

   As expected, the oatmeal was very mushy looking and though it didn’t look horrible, she wished she was able to give AJ some fruit along with it. Some strawberries or apples could really do good right about now, but she couldn’t spend too much time dwelling on it. She used a small amount of water from what Eddie gave them to help cool it down faster and soon, AJ was stuffing his face with the stuff while Clementine made sure he didn’t make too big of a mess. ****  
** **

   “I finished washing up your clothes, by the way.” Wyatt said, finally bringing up the state of her previous wardrobe. “I put them on a line outside my window, so they’re drying right now.” ****  
** **

   “Thank you.” It surprised her how easy it was for her to say. She would’ve expected some internal resistance. She wiped the corner of AJ’s mouth, shaking her head at just how messy he could get in such a short period of time. ****  
** **

   At this point, Eddie stood leaning against the armchair Wyatt now sat in, personal space clearly not being in his vocabulary.  ****  
** **

   “Do you mind?” Wyatt didn’t even sound that upset or annoyed. Like he was generally asking a real question.  ****  
** **

   “Nah, not at all. In fact, this was my spot before you decided to up and steal it.” ****  
** **

   “Well, I ain’t moving if that’s what you think is gonna happen.”  ****  
** **

   “Then I guess I’ll just-” It seemed like such a natural thing for him to fall right into Wyatt’s lap, legs and head hanging off either side. The most Wyatt reacted with was a grunt, followed by a heavy sigh, easily accepting that this was happening. Glancing down, he even smiled slightly at the sight of it all. It quickly disappeared, however, once his eyes shifted over to Clementine for a split second. That’s when he cleared his throat, slightly sinking into his seat. ****  
** **

   “So,” Eddie sighed, not bothering to lift his head as he spoke. “How’s he liking that oatmeal?” ****  
** **

   “Well, considering I had to make him slow down every time he brought up the spoon, I think he liked it.”   ****  
** **

   Only then did Eddie lift his head up. “What? Is he finished already?” ****  
** **

   “Must’ve been hungrier than I thought he was.” Clementine chuckled, watching AJ use his finger to wipe up any leftovers that surrounded the bowl.   ****  
** **

   “Guess that means we won’t have to feed him dinner.” ****  
** **

   Just as quickly as she laughed at the sight of her boy happily finishing his bowl, she looked up, glaring right through Eddie. ****  
** **

   “Kidding,” Eddie tried defending himself with lifted hands. “I’m just- I was kidding.” ****  
** **

   Wyatt lightly smacked the back of his head and for a brief second, Clementine swore she saw a few of his fingers tousling with his hair. “You’re the one who’s gonna have no dinner now. Shouldn’t be that hard for you. After all, you would go days without eating just for the kids, right?” ****  
** **

   “You’re damn right I did!” Eddie leaned back again, reaching his arms back to rest them behind his head. “And I’d do it again! You have any idea how satisfying it was to see the looks on their faces when you would them a big bowl of soup or canned fruit or even a candy bar for when they were good? They would get so excited and it made all the hunger pains completely worth it.” ****  
** **

   The way he spoke so casually about it actually had Clementine hating how genuine it sounded. She really didn’t want to like this guy, but he was making it so hard on her. It made her hate him even more. ****  
** **

   “Well, aren’t you a goddamn saint.” Clementine grumbled, placing the now empty bowl onto the table. “Funny how the world works: The apocalypse will kill perfectly good people and then turn around and turn druggies into model citizens.” ****  
** **

   That made both men freeze up, but once Eddie slowly sat up, he looked over to Wyatt with wide eyes and muttered something to him, too quiet for Clementine to hear herself. It took a bit of effort, but Eddie climbed out of his friend’s lap to lean against the fireplace mantle. They both continued to look bewildered as to what to say.  ****  
** **

   Of course, it was loudmouth Eddie who spoke up first. ****  
** **

   “I actually wouldn’t call myself that at all. I’m still an asshole. A douche. A real fuck up. I’ve made people’s lives harder both now and back when things were normal. It just so happens it’s harder to find drugs nowadays.” Was he really trying to make Clementine feel better by talking about how terrible he was? “It’s just that- I guess I realized that now if I fucked up like I did before, the outcome would be, like, ten times worse. I realized I had to try harder to be better and I guess it’s working? I dunno.” ****  
** **

   “And we too have experienced loss.” Wyatt interjected, sounding grim at the mere mention of it. “We’ve seen real genuine people lose this battle of life. We know how unfair it is.” ****  
** **

   Eddie reached down, fingertips barely scraping against Wyatt’s knee as a silent reminder he was there. He looked even sadder than Wyatt himself, who continued, face devoid of any identifiable emotion. ****  
** **

   “After Eddie and I got split up, I ended up driving to my mom’s neighborhood.” Clementine could already sense where this was going, but dared not to speak. “She was in a neighbor's house, gunshot wound right between the eyes. I know her neighbor had a gun, so I like to think he saved her from becoming one of them. He wasn’t able to save himself, however, and I think he knew it himself. He handcuffed himself to his bed frame.”  ****  
** **

   She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “What did you do?” She asked quietly.  ****  
** **

   He blinked. “I shot him. He was a good man. He deserved better than that.” ****  
** **

   Clementine stayed silent.  ****  
** **

   “I understand what you were going for, Clementine. I really do. But if you have to take one thing from this, it’s that these ‘druggies’ had friends...families and believe or not, we’re not all the deviant villains you saw in after school programs telling you not to do drugs. I think in this new world, we’re being taught that people are the biggest monsters of all and you aren’t wrong in thinking that. Just remember that these ‘druggies’ have given you food, water and a temporary place to call home. I don’t blame you for being cautious, but it’s getting to a point of disrespect. You don’t have to thank us every second for letting you stay here or grovel at our feet. I’m only asking that you acknowledge what we’re doing. If you hate us that much and your plan changed yet again, you’re free to leave.” ****  
** **

   Wyatt sure wasn’t pulling his punches. It didn’t even seem like he was trying to comfort her like Eddie was trying to do. Clementine could feel her head boiling with confused anger. ****  
** **

   “You’re still a child, Clementine.” He continued. “So I can’t be too upset. I can only imagine what it’s like growing up in a world like this. But lashing out at the slightest sliver of kindness is going to get you killed. It’ll have people asking themselves ‘why bother?’ and they’ll either kick you to the curb or have it build up until they snap and if they snap, who will they take it out on?” ****  
** **

   “It struck a nerve.” She finally grumbled, referring to the snide remark that started this all. “I’ve lost so many people.” ****  
** **

   “We all have.” There wasn’t a single ounce of malice in his tone. Only the kind of truth you don’t hold back from telling. ****  
** **

   Huge knots began to form in the pit of her stomach and it almost felt like she was going to throw up. She even began to silently grind her teeth. Wyatt’s expression stayed neutral while Eddie’s became weary, unsure if his friend should’ve said all that. That’s when she abruptly picked AJ up and started to stomp up the stairs. Neither tried stopping her ****  
** **

   Once in their room, she placed AJ on the bed and slammed the door behind her, instantly cursing to herself for it. AJ flinched at the noise and curled up onto the pillow, watching Clementine with wide eyes. ****  
** **

   “Those fuckin’ assholes.” She hissed, pacing in front of the door. “They don’t know- they have  _ no  _ idea-!” ****  
** **

   The thumping from her boots halted once something clicked with her. ****  
** **

   Her parents… ****  
** **

   She had only seen them for a second, but that second seemed to last for a lifetime.  ****  
** **

   She never got to say goodbye. ****  
** **

   Wyatt’s mother… ****  
** **

   He never… ****  
** **

   She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from yelling in frustration. Instead, she angrily kicked her boots off and collapsed into the bed beside AJ. ****  
** **

   “Why should I give a damn about them?” She asked, more so to herself. “They don’t know anything. They’re idiots. I don’t- I don’t-” ****  
** **

   She sighed at the sight of AJ’s confused expression. Her eyes began to feel the slightest bit dewy. She pulled AJ closer to her, close enough to inhale the scent of his hair. He couldn’t even begin to understand what she was feeling and if she were being honest, Clementine couldn’t even be sure herself. ****  
** **

   She _was_ still a child, which she hated. ** **  
****

   It had her wishing for a distant future as well as the impossible. ****  
** **

   She wanted to be respected and treated like an adult. To be seen as strong and able to take care of herself and AJ. ****  
** **

   But at the same time...she had no time to be a child. ****  
** **

   The memories of eating candy in her treehouse as the sun was setting right before her walkie talkie would buzz to life with the voice of her mother telling her to come back inside...it was so vivid, but in the way that a dream was. It had her second guessing herself. Did that ever happen or what was it another case of her mind making up happy memories to keep her from breaking down sobbing in the dead of night. Even attempting to imagine her mother’s voice resulting in only the sounds of static filling her head. More tears started to drip down her face no matter how hard she tried in sniffling them back. ****  
** **

   “I don’t need them.” She whimpered in a hoarse tone. “I don’t…” ****  
** **

   She looked back down at AJ, eyes beginning to droop and mouth opened into a yawn.  ****  
** **

   “But... _ you _ need them.” It’s almost like it only then just dawned upon her. She could stay up for nights upon nights and go days without eating, but AJ couldn’t. ****  
** **

   He needed a warm bed and meal and clean water and who just so happened to have all of those things?  ****  
** **

   Hours passed with the two of them laying in bed together and while Clementine’s stomach rumbled, AJ’s stayed still. She supposed that oatmeal helped to fill him up a decent amount. The tempting smells of dinner from downstairs weren’t enough to get her out of the room. She would need a lot of sleep before attempting to face them again. ****  
** **

   By the time she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, AJ was already fast asleep and Clementine held her breath. ****  
** **

   She could hear them both talking for a brief moment before the door to Wyatt’s room opened and silence took over once more. Only then did her shoulders relax and a huff of air exited through her nose. ****  
** **

   Maybe Wyatt was right. ****  
** **

   She shivered and finally shut her eyes. ****  
** **

   It would kill her, but for AJ? She’d do anything. ****  
** **

   Even if it meant being nice to who she believed to be the most annoying man to live through the apocalypse. 


	6. Confusion in kindness

   Waking up from a dreamless sleep did a lot to confuse the mind. It can have you asking whether or not you slept at all during the night.

   In Clementine’s opinion, it honestly didn’t matter how much sleep she got. All she knew was that as she found herself staring up at the ceiling, the orange lights beginning to creep up through the window and into her field of vision were enough of a wake up call. If the lights weren’t enough of a dead giveaway this growing feeling in her gut could be an extra bonus of unease. It was like waking up early to go to school when you don’t want to go, only instead of school, it’s confronting the people taking you in after a particularly embarrassing tantrum.

   Instead of getting up right away, however, not wanting to repeat a previous morning, Clementine decided to wait until AJ was awake as well before going out. Turning onto her side, as expected, she smiled upon seeing AJ’s sleeping face. She reached out and gently stroked his face, reveling in just how soft his skin was and how peaceful he looked. It made her think back to the previous day...how frightened he must’ve been to see her angry like that. She highly doubt that short temper of hers would ever truly disappear. That along with her cold exterior had been so etched into her over the years and she could bet it’d be impossible to shake off.

   Just as she was beginning to sink deep into her thoughts, she could hear the door to Wyatt’s room open and close and someone walk out. Based on how heavy the steps sounded, she assumed the footsteps belonged to Wyatt himself. Nonetheless, she stayed firm on her plan of not leaving until AJ was awake as well. Speaking of, she did hope it wouldn’t be too long until that happened. Her stomach was growling once again and it was much louder than it was last night. What she wouldn’t give for some rabbit or fish or…

   She sighed, sinking her head into the pillow.

   She watched the lights from outside growing brighter and she was practically internally begging for AJ to wake up. However, AJ’s eyes remained closed and his breathing was slow and relaxed. That was until a particularly loud bird decided then to sing its song.

   A tiny groan escaped last his lips and after a bit of rolling around, AJ sat himself up. Clementine chuckled watching him blink and yawn as he tried to wake himself up.

   “Good morning, goofball.” Clementine quietly greeted once he looked her way. “I’m glad you’re finally awake. I’m...starving and didn’t want to leave my ‘lil sleepyhead alone.” She ended the statement with a short tickle under his chin.

   Just hearing his giggle helped to calm her nerves even more.

   Her smile dipped slightly as she sat up, still looking down at her boy. “I’m sorry if I startled you yesterday. I just got pissed with them for...honestly no real reason. Well, mostly no reason.” She stroked his hair. “Things are going to be better... _I’m_ going to be better. All for you.”

   Of course, not all the words were registering within AJ’s mind, but he smiled nonetheless and that was good enough for Clementine.

   “Are you hungry too?”

   As expected, AJ nodded and patted his stomach.

   “Thought so.” Clementine proudly stated, giving his hair one last ruffle before getting up.

   She collected her boots from across the room and pulled them back on, afterwards, becoming a morning tradition at this point, picked AJ up and placed him at her hip. But when it came time to actually leave the room, she hesitated. She couldn’t be sure if she was truly mentally ready to face them after how she reacted, but the two of them couldn’t stay in their room forever. It was better to get it over with sooner than later anyways. Even while thinking this, her hand refused to budge. Groaning in frustration, she rolled her eyes imagining hearing either of the men bringing up the “attitude” she had last night. More than anything did she just want to move on and forget about the whole event. The grumbling from her stomach was motivation enough to finally bring her hand to the doorknob and step out into the world outside of their room.

   Aside from the now muffled bird songs, the sounds of gentle fire crackling could be heard from downstairs and it took every fiber in her being not to turn around and go right back to their room. But after taking a deep breath, she continued. She peeked down the stairs and could see the back of Wyatt’s head by the fireplac, seemingly staring into whatever flames that happened to be sitting in it. She carefully began to descend the stairs. As she tried her best to stay as quiet as possible, AJ then quietly cooed, probably in reaction to only then noticing Wyatt as well. Her breathing stilled when he turned around to face them. Clementine, only halfway down the stairs, silently locked eyes with him. Wyatt remained silent himself until he turned back around to face the fireplace.

   “The rabbit I’m cooking is almost done.” Things were only made more awkward by the fact Clementine had no idea how to interpret his tone. “I made some coffee in the meantime though. You want some?”

   “Yeah.” 

   Grabbing a mug from the mantle, he walked over to the kitchen, where the pitcher of coffee laid. As he did so, Clementine finally snaked her way to the ground floor and sat on the couch, not daring to let AJ go just yet. Not long after that, Wyatt hovered over her, lowering the mug into her free hand.

   “Thank you.” She said quietly.

   Merely nodding, Wyatt returned to his spot by the fireplace and the room plunged right back into its previous silence. She only then let AJ crawl into his spot next to her once it came time to sip her coffee and even with an empty stomach, it wasn't a bad start to a morning. Even as she took comfort in that warm cup, the silence uneased her and the fact that she couldn’t see Wyatt’s face wasn’t helping. He drank from his own cup and spoke up again.

   “How did you sleep?”

   “Fine.” Her fingers drummed against the side of her cup.

   “And AJ?”

   “Fine.” She repeated.

   “I assume you didn’t fall right to sleep when you went up to your room, so is it safe to say you’ve done a bit of thinking?”

   She could already feel her face began to heat up in a building anger, but she tried her best to ignore it. “Yeah.”

   Wyatt returned right back to the silent treatment.

   She sighed into the mug. “And I _assume_ you want to know what I’ve been thinking.”

   “You would be right in assuming that yet.” It could’ve been her ears playing tricks on her, but his words sounded the slightest bit smug.

   “Well,” She sighed, trying her best to remain calm. “I have decided...to _not_ be a complete asshole to you two, since you, y’know, are keeping us fed and stuff.”

   “I’m sure it was a shocking revelation to come to.” That time, the snark wasn’t even subtle. At least he didn’t sound mad or even upset with Clementine. 

   “Ugh, shut up.” Her face right back into the mug so neither AJ or Wyatt would notice the small smile creeping onto her face. “Don’t forget why I’m staying in the first place.”

   “Right, of course. It’s for your boy and his safety.” He turned, raising his cup towards her. “And it’s because we’re good people who _let_ you stay. Now, I don’t know if you know this, but that means we’re _not_ just useless druggies.”

   “Okay okay I get it!” She groaned, deeply regretting coming downstairs at all. “I’ll be all puppies and kittens and shit if it means we get a bed and food. Is that what you want to hear?”

   “Please god don’t force yourself to be ‘lil miss sunshine. It might be worse than the treatment you’ve been giving us lately.” After placing his cup down, his attention switched over to the food cooking above the fire. “All I’m asking is for you to be tolerable.”

   “If you ask Eddie that too, then I’ll think about it.”

   He chuckled as he began scooping rabbit meat and vegetables into the bowls he had laid out on the coffee table. “I’ve been asking him that for years now and I don’t think it’s gonna work this time.”

   “Where is he, by the way?” She offhandedly asked as she switched her mug for two bowls of food for the two of them, quietly urging for AJ to wait until it cooled down before eating. “Off playing lumberjack or hunter?”

   “He’s probably still asleep.” He explained casually, sitting down in the armchair with his own bowl, leaving one lone meal on the table for the man in question.

   Once the words registered with her, she blinked and looked down at the couch she was sitting in, raising an eyebrow.

   “And,” She gestured vaguely to the couch. “Where exactly would he be sleeping?”

   As he was mixing his food, his hand froze. He stared into the bowl for a moment, eyes unblinking and mouth slightly agape as he thought of what to say. After finally blinking, he chuckled awkwardly and continuing in mixing his food to keep his hands busy.

   “Ah- well...I guess-” Exhaling, he rolled a shoulder a few times, most likely feeling tense at the sudden question. “That’s- um...yeah, that’s-” His eyes lit up and the corners of his mouth raised. “Well, you see, I ended up sleeping on the couch last night while Eddie took my room. No big whoop.”

   “It’s funny you say that, ‘cause I could’ve sworn I heard your door open some time before I got up.” She stabbed her fort into a piece of rabbit meat and brought it up to her lips. “Plus, I don’t think I’ve heard such an obvious lie in my life and that’s saying a lot. I haven’t exactly been around the most trustworthy of people and when that happens, you learn a thing or two with what to look out for.”

   He began to sink into his seat, looking oddly embarrassed by the whole situation. He placed the bowl on the table beside him and ran a hand through his loose hair. “It’s not even that big of a deal.”

   “Then I see no reason to lie.”

   Wyatt groaned, sitting back up and shooting a glare Clementine’s way as if to say “alright, I give up.” A smirk found its way onto her face, more than proud of herself that she still got it when it came to getting the truth out of people.

   “Like I said, it’s no biggie.” Wyatt repeated, eyes shifting about. He crossed his arms and dared to meet her eyes for a few brief moments. Clementine raised her eyebrows to encourage him to continue.

   “Eddie and I...we’re-” Clementine could see hues of red appear on his cheeks. “We’re, well, together. Together as in...y’know...romantically.”

   “I had a feeling.” Sure, it was mostly her cockiness taking over, but ever since they came, Clementine just knew something was up. 

   She never bothered herself with taking an interest in romance as she was too busy staying alive to worry about it. But she was by no means blind to it. She had seen plenty of romances around her through her travels, however, none exactly ended well. She tried hard not to think of how things ended, instead, focusing on how they operated. Not all love were rainbows and smiles and sometimes she had been witness to the not-so-pretty sides of it. There would be days where one annoyed the other to the point where they would refuse to speak to each other for hours, but no longer than that. While she would rest her eyes and pretend to fall asleep, she’s heard soft apologizes from both parties, telling the other how they didn’t want to stay mad at them. How they hated being angry at them.

   There was no doubt that Eddie would annoy the living daylights out of Wyatt, but you’d have to be stupid to think that they actually hated each other. One only had to see the way they looked at each other to prove otherwise. Clementine was no stranger to seeing looks like that. The look they give the other after making an idiotic joke. The look right after their eyes roll. The look they share when both are quiet before pretending such an exchange never happened in the first place. She could only imagine just how often those looks had to be shared. Almost made her sick with how sickeningly sweet it was. But at least it was never quite in your face about it.

   “Little miss junior detective over here, huh?” Wyatt scoffed, returning to his food, face remaining red. If anything, it seemed to be growing more bright. “Was it obvious or-?”

   “Oh, not at all.” She sighed, clearly not being serious. “You’d only need eyes and ears to notice it. So, no. Not obvious.”

   “You’re such a brat, you know that?”

   “I will admit it’s been awhile since I’ve heard _that_ one, but yeah sounds about right.”

   As they met each other’s gaze once more, tiny grins appeared on both faces, Wyatt’s being barely noticeable.

   “So,” He shoved a forkful of cooked veggies into his mouth and chewed for a moment. “I assume that this fact doesn’t affect you wanting to stay here.”

   “Not in the slightest.” Clementine reassured, digging into her own meal as AJ did the same. “I couldn’t care less about who you smooch or...whatever else it is that couples do. Literally doesn’t affect AJ or I in any way whatsoever.”

   “Better than those who would want to kill us for it.” Despite the dark statement, Wyatt laughed, as if he were almost entirely numb to the idea he had brought up.

   As she was bringing her fork up to her lips, she paused, a look of confusion crystal clear on her face. “Why...would someone ever kill someone for such a stupid reason?”

   Wyatt froze as well, looking as if something only then just clicked with him. He lowered his bowl down and leaned forward a smidge. “Oh, right...I’m guessing you don’t really know about that kind of stuff. After all, you must’ve been young when all this started and it’s not exactly the kind of thing one would teach you while running from deadheads.”

   “I’m listening.” She said, leaning back on the couch to show that she was ready for whatever he had to say. “Safe to say we have time for it.”

   “All I’m going to say is that…” Clementine could only imagine just all the things running through his mind as he tried figuring out what to say. “Some people hate love when it’s not the kind of love they’re used to. Just because they’re a man married to a woman, they see me with a man or a woman with another woman and think since it’s not like what he has, it must be wrong.”

   “Right, but...murder? That’s...no there’s no way.”

   Wyatt chuckled sadly. “You’d be surprised. Eddie and I have seen our fair share of bloody noses, black eyes and bruised rib cages and...even if they weren’t exactly trying to kill us, they definitely were looking to fuck us up.”

   “Jesus.” She said quietly, looking down into her bowl. It was beyond a disgusting thing to imagine. Putting people’s lives on the line on the basis of who they happened to love. She couldn’t picture herself caring too much for these men, but when the false images of their faces, bruised and bloodied suddenly intruded her mind, chills went down her back.

   Wyatt must’ve been picturing the same thing. The only difference being those images for far too real to him. “There was this one time, while out at a bar, Eddie decided to put his arm around my waist as we drank. He ended up leaving the bar with a broken nose and blood in his teeth. Meanwhile, I left with just a few bruises on my chest from some guys shoving me.” He chuckled again, clearing his throat at the same time. “But after all that, I remember him smiling at him. It was so gross, but...I was just happy he was still standing and walking around. I really mean it with my entire being when I say that Eddie might be one of the most selfless men I know. Just one of the many things I love about him.”

   It certainly sounded in character to what Clementine had seen of him. A bar fight really did pale in comparison when she’s seen him shoot a guy to save a random girl he didn’t even know then proceeding to drive said girl and a baby out of danger. She quickly rolled her eyes and hoped Wyatt didn’t see. Even after all this, she hated hearing that Eddie really wasn’t the major douche her mind was painting him to be.

   “Guess that explains why you’ve stuck around.”

   “Yeah…” Wyatt said, his voice sounding distant as if he were too busy with his thoughts to give a longer answer. “I’m lucky he’s the one I get to be with during a fuckin’ scary time like this.”

   “Pshhh! Pretty gay of you to say, Wyatt!”

   The two of them glanced towards the stairs, AJ being too short to look over the couch, to see Eddie walking down the stairs. Alongside his messy hair and plaid pajama pants, it was clear he wasn’t fully awake yet. He steps were on the wobbly side and he shot Wyatt a dumb grin.

   Wyatt sighed deeply, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat as Eddie walked over to lean against the couch.

   “Since when did you get so soft, huh?” This time, Clementine didn’t even attempt to mask her annoyed glare, but Eddie continued nonetheless. “Like, bro, no need to get all mushy y’know what I-?”

   “She knows, Eddie.” Wyatt plainly explained, now hiding his face in one of his hands.

   This caused Eddie to stop in his tracks and do a quick double take at both Wyatt and Clementine. She could practically see the dusty and rusty cogs in his head begin to turn in response. Then, without missing a beat, he walked over to the bowl Wyatt had laid out for him, picked it up and sit right in Wyatt’s lap and began to eat like it was no big deal.

   “Well good then!” He cheered between mouthfuls of food. “Hiding it is always lame.”

   “Just to be clear, we didn’t exactly _mean_ to hide it.” Wyatt quickly began to explain. “I guess it’s just something we do on instinct when we meet people because we don’t know exactly how they feel about that kind of thing.”

   “Right.” Clementine nodded. By this point, both her and AJ were more than done with their food, so she returned both bowls to the table. “Lucky for you, I don’t care.”

   Clicking his tongue, Eddie signed and leaned back into Wyatt’s chest and rested his head onto his shoulder. “Dawww. You hear that, Wy?” He reached his hand up to poke his cheek. “She said she doesn’t care. How sweet!”

   “As in, I don’t care that you’re together and also...I just don’t care about you guys in general.” She could feel herself walking on thin ice with how cold she could be with them without having to be lectured yet again. Just as it looked as if Wyatt was about to say something, Clementine’s shoulders tensing up as a result, Eddie began to laugh.

   “Good enough for me!” And before Wyatt could try saying something again. Eddie leaned up and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

   Now, the only noises Wyatt made were small muffled humming as he sank deeper and deeper into his seat. All the while, his face becoming more and more flushed.

   “Ugh, you guys are worse than my parents.” Clementine gagged. Like most children, Clementine usually made at least a bit of a fuss when her parents would kiss or act affectionate in front of her. However, it was mostly a joke whenever she did it.

   “Just wait until the nicknames.” Wyatt said in a deadpan tone, still sunken in his seat. “It’s only going to go downhill for you from here.”

   “But _uphill_ for us.” Eddie laughed again, snuggling in closer to him. “Ain’t that right, _bello_?”

   As Wyatt only grew more embarrassed, Clementine groaned. “I don’t even know what that means, but all of this is beyond torture.”

   It was then when a reminder came from an unexpected place.

   “Ah, I’d be careful with that sass if I were you.” Eddie cooed, not looking away from stroking his lover’s face. “Wouldn’t want a repeat of yesterday, would you? Honestly, that whole thing was suuuuper awkward and not just for you.”

   Wyatt paused from being embarrassed to nod and lift his finger. “That _is_ right, yes. Also, let it be known that we could’ve just continued to lie about ourselves and our relationship if we wanted to, but we didn’t and you know why?”

   “Please, enlighten me.”

   Wyatt stayed silent for a moment before a tiny but kind smile surfaced onto his face. “Because we trust you.”

   The only thing Clementine could compare the feeling she had was that of a knot forming her stomach but...not one out of tension or fear or anything like that. It felt lighter, less harsh. Like a surprise, but a pleasant one. As she thought more about it, she found more things to compare it to. The feeling of when someone casually brings up something you had told them before and they cared enough to remember. The slight feeling of déjà vu remembering a single good time swimming through a sea of miserable times. For a moment, it made her forget about previous terrifying moments in her life because since they were no longer happening, why linger?

   She gulped. “You still don’t know me.” She finally risked in saying.

   That look from yesterday thankfully didn’t return as Wyatt spoke up again. “I think we know enough.”

   For once, instead of voicing his opinion, Eddie merely nodded along to Wyatt’s words.

   “You really do continue to underestimate us, huh?” Wyatt chuckled. “Over the years, we’ve started to develop a good judge in character. Despite how you’re trying to present yourself, we know you’re not some cold, heartless monster.”

   “Is that how I act in your eyes?” Clementine asked with a snort.

   “Well I wouldn’t exactly call you warm and approachable. The point is...you aren’t some sort of threat to us. Though,” Wyatt gestured to AJ. “I’m sure AJ helped you in that case. I may not know much about babies, but it’s impossible not to notice how much he loves you. From what I’ve heard, babies have a good judge in character too.”

   At the mention of his name, AJ looked up from playing with Clementine’s fingers. His eyes were wide and looking expectedly at both Clementine and the men.

   He was right. AJ loved her and she loved him. She knew how soft she would grow when her attention would be turned to him. How gentle her face and voice became and how much more patient she was. 

   She really was lucky to have him in her life.

   “He’s lucky to have you.”

   Her stomach became twisted like before, but more intensely. Her face mimicked AJ’s as she stared into Wyatt’s eyes.  

   “What?”

   “Eddie told me how you were acting that night at the ranch. He told me just how determined you were in getting him back. How you looked at him like he was your entire world. It was bullshit that he was taken from you in the first place, but I’m glad the two of you are together again.”

   Though she wanted nothing more than to leave that memory of the ranch in her dust, the one thing she didn’t mind remembering was the look her and AJ shared once they were reunited. It was enough to remind her just how worth it it all was. How every hour and day she spent awake wandering the woods in search wasn’t at all in vain. She knew it all herself. She didn’t need to hear it from others, however…

   “And honestly? Way badass of you.” Right then, Eddie was back to saying whatever it was that popped into his head. “If I were your age, I don’t know if I could’ve done it.”

   “That’s because you were a scrawny ‘lil shit when we were teens.” Wyatt said, returning to his food, signing at the fact that it was probably getting cold by this point.

   “Hey! She’s pretty scrawny too!”

   “Um-” Clementine stuttered and the two men immediately shut their mouths. She pulled AJ onto her lap. “Uh...thanks for the food and stuff, but...would it be okay if we sat outside for a bit for some fresh air?”

   Sure, it was out of nowhere, but who was Wyatt to refuse. “Sure. Just keep an eye out, okay?”

   Clementine nodded and quickly stood up, wasting no time in going out the back door.

   The feeling of the warm sunlight and weak breeze rolling through the trees ran past her skin and she sighed deeply and after taking a deep breath of the fresh pine that surrounded them, she sat herself and AJ down on the bench.

   She was still beyond confused on how she was feeling, which was exactly the reason for this small getaway of sorts. She wrapped an arm around AJ and pulled him close as she leaned her head back and risked to close her eyes for a brief few seconds. 

   So many thoughts fought in her mind to make themselves known, but one statement stood out.

_Damn it...they’re annoying even when they’re nice._


End file.
